


Krashlyn Oneshot

by ashharris1124



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2018-09-14 02:57:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 38,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9156994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashharris1124/pseuds/ashharris1124
Summary: Ali gets mad at Ashlyn for doing something she told her not to.I'm new to this and terrible at summaries sorry.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting something on here. This is just a random one shot I wrote awhile ago. I hope you enjoy :)

"Ashlyn Michelle Harris, you are dead!" Ali yelled as she entered the house from the kitchen. 

I raised an eyebrow at her. "What did I do?" I asked, watching as she threw down her purse and put her hands on her hips. I forced myself not to laugh at her posture (which made her look a lot like her mom) because I could tell she was pretty ticked off.

"Last night, I specifically told you to not give me any hickeys. And what did you do?" She pulled down her scarf to show the bruise on her neck. "You gave me a nice big one."

My girlfriend scowled at me from across the room while I tried to keep a smile off of my face. 

She huffed. "Do you know how embarrassed I was when my dad pointed it out during lunch? Let me tell you, I wanted to crawl under the table and disappear. I can't believe you!"

I put my hands up in defense. "Hey, it's not completely my fault. You didn't stop me." I pointed out. 

Ali raised an eyebrow at me in challenge. "You wanna rethink that last sentence my sweet, sweet girlfriend?" 

I looked at the ground and gulped.  _Oh gosh._

"What I meant to say is, I'm sorry." 

She sighed and removed her scarf. "I might forgive you, but I need to think about it."

I smiled and walked over to her, wrapping my arms around her waist. I made sure my dimple was showing; it always got to her. 

"I'm so sorry, please forgive me." I smiled. 

She tried to look away, but I could see her eyeing my dimple. Her lips quivered with a smile and I tried to look even cuter to see if I could break her. 

"I don't know..." she trailed off. 

"Pleeeease." I drawled out, squeezing her waist. 

She narrowed her eyes a little. "You're something else, you know that?" 

I smiled wider. "If by 'something else' you mean sexy as hell, then yes. I do know that."

She gave me her usual princess eye roll, as I liked to call it, and kissed me softly on the lips. 

"I'm dating a dork. And okay, I guess I can forgive you." she smiled. She poked my dimple. "I can never say no to my favorite dimpled smile, unless no is required." 

I chuckled softly, then surprised her by attacking her neck with kisses. She gasped and tried to wiggle out of my arms, but I kept a firm grip on her. 

"Ash, oh my gosh, stop, that tickles!" she giggled. 

I slowed down my kisses until I was firmly kissing her neck. She tried to calm her breathing down as I sucked on her soft, warm skin. Her arms circled my back and she held onto me tightly. 

I smiled against her skin. "See? That hickey wasn't entirely my fault." I murmured. 

She pulled back and smiled. "Just shut up and kiss me." 

And that's just what I did. 

 


	2. Oneshot #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Ali go to the doctor to find out what gender their baby is and get a nice surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was bored and figured I'd post again, so here ya go. Enjoy :)

Ashlyn smiled when she felt gentle kisses being placed all over her face. Her eyes slowly opened to see happy cinnamon eyes staring back at her. 

"Today's the day, babe." Ali whispered excitedly, pecking Ashlyn quickly on the lips so she wouldn't have to taste her wife's morning breath. 

Ashlyn stretched languish in bed, a satisfied grin leaving her lips. "It sure is." she grinned. She reached down and pushed Ali's shirt up so she could caress her small bump. "I can't wait to see the little nugget on the sonogram screen again."

Ali nodded in agreement. "Me too. And we'll finally be able to stop calling them 'little nugget' since we'll know their gender."

Ashlyn rubbed her hand on Ali's stomach. "They're always gonna be my little nugget. Knowing their gender won't make me stop calling them that." She smiled when Ali groaned. Her wife had never came around to the nickname Ashlyn gave their growing baby. 

Ali leaned in for a quick kiss. "We gotta get going soon. Get dressed, I'll make you some coffee."

Ashlyn smiled and grabbed Ali's hand before she could move away from the bed. "I love you so much Alex."

Ali returned her smile. "I love you too, baby."

///

The doctor greeted Ali and Ashlyn with a warm smile as she walked into the room. "Hello ladies, how are we today?"

Ashlyn answered quickly. "Excited." she said. 

Ali loved the way Ashlyn' s eyes were glistening with her excitement. She couldn't have had a better person to be starting a family with, she was sure of it. 

"I'm sure you are," the doctor said. "This is a big moment for expecting couples, and by far my favorite part of my job. Well, let's not keep you two waiting any longer. I'll ask all of the normal check up questions afterwards."

The doctor started the sonogram machine and took out the sonogram gel as Ali laid down on the table and pushed her shirt up. Ashlyn grabbed Ali's hand and have it a kiss while the doctor squeezed the cold gel on Ali's stomach and grabbed the sonogram wand. 

"Ready?" the doctor asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Both women nodded enthusiastically. 

"Alrighty, here we go." The doctor moved the wand around on Ali's stomach and the screen came to life. Ali and Ashlyn cranes their necks to get a good view, permanent smiles on their faces. "Okay, let's see- Oh!" the doctor exclaimed. 

Ali and Ashlyn looked at each other quickly, slightly worried, and then back to the doctor who had a look of surprise on her face. 

"Is everything okay?" Ali asked, her voice wavering a little. Her heart started beating a little quicker and she squeezed Ashlyn's hand. 

"Yes, just... Usually I can tell a little sooner then I did with you."

Ashlyn's knee started bouncing slightly.  _Just tell us and put us out of our misery already,_ she thought. 

The doctor turned to them with a small smile. "You're having twins. A boy and a girl." 

Ali's eyes widen at the doctor's words and her mind starts racing.  _Twins._ That means twice the crying, twice the normal number of dirty diapers, twice the number of times she thought she'd be popping a baby out in about five months, and no sleep for her and Ashlyn when the babies come. Despite her trepidations though, she's smiling and has happy tears rolling down her cheeks.  _Twins._

Beside her, Ashlyn chuckled to herself. 

"What are you laughing at?" Ali asked her, her brow furrowing. 

Ashlyn leaned down and kissed her wife's cheek. "Now we have two little nuggets." she said with a wide grin. 

Despite Ali not liking the nickname, she chuckled too, and pulled Ashlyn down for a proper kiss. "Yeah, we do." she whispered.  

 


	3. First Christmas as a Krieger-Harris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashlyn and Ali's adopted daughter Skylar goes though her first Christmas after losing her parents and baby sister in a car crash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a scene I wrote for a fic I've been trying to put together for awhile now. I'm not so great at making stories in order, so sometimes I skip ahead and write little scenes. Tbh I'm probably never going to make the whole fic, but I thought you guys might like this scene. Hope you like it :)

"Skylar!" Kyle yelled as soon as I entered the house. He opened his arms for a hug and I smiled, circling my arms around his waist. 

"Hi, Uncle Kyle." I said.

"How's my oldest niece?" he asked, pulling back to look at me. "Have you gotten taller?" 

I chuckled. "Just a little."

He held up my arm, squeezing my bicep. "Dang, Sky. You got buff since the last time I saw you. What are Ali and Ash feeding you?"

Ali answered before I could. "Lots and lots of hard work gained her those muscles." She smiled and pulled Kyle in for a hug. "I missed you so much Kyle."

"Missed you too, B." he smiled. 

Ashlyn came in then, hauling Olivia in her arms. "Where's my hug?" she asked Kyle, chuckling as she handed Olivia to me. 

While Ash and Kyle hugged, Olivia rested her head on my shoulder. She was still tired from the nap she took on the car ride here. I kissed her forehead and she snuggled into my neck. 

"Look at this tired little cutie." Kyle smiled, holding his arms out to Olivia. She sleepily reached for him and he picked her up, holding her to his chest. "Merry Christmas everyone. I hope I got a lot of presents from you guys."

Ali rolled her eyes at her brother. "And I hope you didn't get me a gift card as a gift this year."

Kyle smirked. "I heard you used that gift card I gave you very wisely. Didn't she Ash?" 

Ashlyn blushed. "I mean, yeah." she chuckled shyly. 

Ali smacked her arm. "You told him what I bought, didn't you?"

"Well, I had to tell someone how sexy you looked in-"

I grimaced. "Ew, I'm leaving." 

Everyone chuckled as I left the room in search of Deb. I found her in the laundry room folding clothes. She gasped when she saw me, throwing down the pair of pants in her hands. 

"You're here!" she squealed. "I didn't even hear you guys arrive, I'm sorry." She pulled me in for a big hug. "How are you sweetie? Oh my gosh I missed you."

I smiled into her hair. "I'm good grandma. I missed you too."

She pulled back and then led me out toward the rest of the family. "How was the drive down? I hope it was alright."

I shrugged. "It was okay. Liv took a nap while the rest of us listened to Christmas music. There was so much traffic."

"Holiday travelers, no doubt." We entered the kitchen and Deb went straight for her daughter. "I missed you so so so so much, baby girl, let me look at you." She grabbed Ali's face. "Still beautiful as ever."

"Mom." Ali whined, but still had her nose crinkling grin on her face. "You're embarrassing me."

"Oh hush. I'm allowed to fawn over my babies." Deb chuckled. She hugged Ash. "Hi sweetie."

Ash smirked. "Oh, I don't get a compliment on my beauty?"

Deb smiled. "Well, sure gorgeous." she laughed, causing everyone to laugh too. "Look at this cutie." she said, looking at a now fast asleep Olivia in Kyle's arms. She stroked Olivia's cheek with her thumb. 

"She gets that from me." Ali said sassily, flipping her hair over her shoulder. 

Everyone chuckled and rolled their eyes. "Yes, we know, B." Kyle said, grinning at his sister. "There's no need to remind us every time we see you."

Ali laughed. "Well, if I don't do it, who's gonna?"

Three hours later, the house was full of family members. I said hi to a lot of people whose names I couldn't quite remember since I'd only seen them a handful of times since I was adopted, and played with Ali's little cousin Ally. After we ate, we all gathered in the living room to open presents and talk. I wasn't surprised when I got a lot of gift cards. I mean, most of these people barely knew me, so why should they buy something that they weren't sure I would like? I got enough iTunes to last me through the next year though, so I wasn't complaining. 

The only people who actually got me something other than a gift card were Kyle, Deb, and her husband. Kyle bought me a beanie that I remember liking when we went out together in LA. It felt nice to know he noticed. Deb's husband got me a new iPad since my old one was starting to go bad, and Deb got me an awesome swim cap and goggle set as well as new shoes for volleyball. I couldn't be more happy with my gifts. 

After everyone was done opening gifts, Ashlyn and Ali both stood up and walked so they were standing in front of the Christmas tree. 

"Can we have everyone's attention please?" Ashlyn said loudly so everyone could hear her. When it was quiet, she continued. "Alex and I have an important announcement to make."

My brow furrowed. I didn't have a clue as to what this could be. 

As always, Kyle had to get a word in. "Let me guess, Ashlyn's getting another tattoo." he said. 

Ali sighed. "Shush you." she smiled. 

Ashlyn chuckled and shook her head while smiling. "Sorry Kyle, that's not what we were gonna say. What we actually want to say is..." She looked at Ali as if to tell her to finish. 

Ali smiled so big I could see all of her teeth. "I'm pregnant." she said. 

My eyes widened while everyone else in the room cheered and congratulated them. I felt totally blindsided. There was no way in hell it could've happened by accident because, you know, biology, so that meant they had decided to get pregnant without even informing me. I have to admit, that hurt a little. I felt like they didn't care about how I would feel. 

Questions were thrown out toward them at rapid speed. Ashlyn finally quieted everyone down so they could talk. 

"That's not all we wanted to say." she smiled. 

_Are you serious?_ I thought.  _What the hell else is there to tell us?_

Ashlyn looked at Ali again to give her the go ahead to tell us what they wanted to say. She smiled brightly again. 

"We're having twins." she said excitedly. 

I think my mind imploded after she finished that sentence. All I remember is blinking a few times while everyone congratulated them again and again, saying they were so excited to have two new members of the family coming soon. After I got control of my body again, I closed my slack jaw and put on a fake smile so no one could tell I was conflicted over the news. I honestly didn't know how to react. Should I be happy, or should I be mad at them for not asking my opinion before they went ahead and tried to get pregnant?

I guess no one could tell my smile was fake because they started saying how happy they were for me that I was getting two more sisters. Yes, sisters. I think they had revealed the gender while my brain was in overload. Soon, everything became too much and I had to leave the room. I escaped to the kitchen, where I grabbed a bottle of water and sat down at the island. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

I ended up not having much time to myself, as Ali came into the room and walked over to me. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" she asked, putting a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it. 

I fiddled with the paper on my water bottle while I worked through my emotions. Finally, after a minute of silence, I answered her. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered. 

Ali's brow furrowed in confusion. "We just did."

"No," I shook my head. "Before. When you decided to get pregnant. Why didn't you tell me?" I looked at her carefully after I stopped talking. 

She sighed and sat down next to me. "Sky, we didn't not include you on purpose. You have to understand that I'm getting older, and my chances of getting pregnant are going down everyday. We had to start trying quickly after we decided to have another baby, or babies."

I stared into her eyes for a few seconds. "You could've at least told me you were trying. Or told me by myself instead of with everyone else." I paused. "And you definitely could've chosen a better day to tell me."

"A better day? This was the best time to tell everyone, considering everyone's together in one place. I agree with you on the fact we should've told you alone, but this was a good time to tell people."

"It's Christmas." I whispered softly. 

Ali nodded. "Yes, it is. A nice day to make announcements."

I knew she didn't get what I was trying to say. "It's Christmas." I repeated, looking into her eyes intently. 

Her brow furrowed, and I saw the moment she realized. "It's Christmas." she said softly. 

I looked away and bit my lip as tears welled up in my eyes. "She'd be one today." I whispered, my voice cracking slightly. I forced my tears away. I knew I needed to cry, but I didn't want to do it here, with everyone in the other room. 

Ali pulled me into a hug and I buried my face in her neck. "I'm so sorry I forgot, baby. It completely slipped my mind what today was for you. Please forgive me." she whispered. 

"It's okay." I mumbled. I sighed into her neck. "I miss her. I miss them all."

Ali rubbed my back in small circles. "I know, sweetie. I know."

I heard footsteps approaching us and pulled back to see who it was. Ashlyn took in our embrace and the tears still shining in my eyes and got a concerned look on her face. "What's wrong?"

Ali kissed my forehead. "Today is Skylar's sister's birthday. And we forgot." She frowned. "I feel bad."

Ashlyn brought me to her chest and I squeezed her waist. "I'm sorry, Sky, I didn't realize."

I pulled back and sighed. "I'll be okay. It just hurts to think about her."

Ashlyn grabbed my hand in her big one and Ali grabbed my other one. "We're here for you sweetheart. Don't suffer in silence, okay? Remember what I told you." Ashlyn said. 

"'Holding in bad things will only cause more bad things.'" I said, quoting her. I squeezed both of their hands. "I promise I'll talk to you when we get home, but right now I'm okay."

We were all silent for a few moments while I worked to get my emotions under control. Once I did, I spoke again.

"So, I'm really getting two more sisters?" I asked quietly.

Ali smiled and nodded. "Yep. The Krieger-Harris family is growing pretty quick, huh?"

A smile slowly spread across my face. "Yeah, and I'm okay with it." I looked at both of them and pulled them in for a hug. "I'm happy. It would've been nice to know before today, but I'm still happy."

Ashlyn kisses my forehead. "We'll make sure to tell you the next time we decide to add to the family."

Ali gave Ashlyn some nice side eye. "If you think I'm popping any more kids out after these two, you've got another thing coming to you."

I laughed quietly as Ashlyn pulled Ali close. "Who said it was gonna be you that pops our fifth child out?"

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to hear what you thought of it, and if you guys want me to keep making one shots for you. Thanks for reading :)


	4. Still Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got dismissed 2 hours early from school today because of the weather, and was so happy I decided to write this for you guys. It's inspired by the song Still Falling by Hunter Hayes. You should totally listen to it, it's amazing. 
> 
> Also, thank you so much for getting me over 100 kudos! You guys are awesome :)

_After all this time you'd think I'd be used to the pull of your gravity_

_After flying for so high for so long_

_Who would think I'm still learning_

_Still burning_

_Still falling_

 

You've been together for six years, yet somehow everything Ali does still amazes you. It's the little things that get to you the most. Like how she always takes a small sip of her coffee in the morning right after pouring it, even though she knows it's scalding hot and will burn her mouth. And how she smiles at you every time she catches you staring at her. God, her smile. It's your favorite thing in the world, tied only with her laugh. You love it more than sharks, and that's saying something. 

You know she's the one, simply because you never get bored of her. You always want to be in her presence, and every moment you can touch her you do. You're the annoying couple that holds hands in their own home, and you love it. You love it, and you love her with every fiber of your being. You're still falling in love with her, and you know you'll never stop. That's why, when you call your grandma and ask her for that ring she's giving you to use, you have a smile a mile wide on your face. 

It sounds totally cliche, but you propose on the beach. You coax her into joining you to watch the sunset. The waves lap at your toes as you stand in an embrace, watching the sun get lower and lower in the sky. Just as it reaches the horizon, you slowly withdraw yourself from her tight hold and she looks at you to see what you're doing. With your eyes locked on each other's, you sink down to one knee and carefully pull the ring box out of your pocket and open it. She gasps, and you see tears in her eyes as her hand comes up to cover her mouth. You smile, because when you had dreamed about this moment, she had the exact same reaction. 

You pour your heart out. Every feeling you have for her encompassed in you comes out in that moment, and soon you're both crying like babies. After your soul is laid out for her to see, you use the strength that she gives you to choke out a quiet "Will you marry me?" And you cry even harder when she whispers "Yes."

And like always, you fall even more in love with her. 

 

 


	5. Zeus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali gets Ashlyn a little surprise for her birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone else having soccer withdrawal? Man it sucks. Anyway, enjoy :)

The day before Ashlyn's birthday, Ali scrolled through her phone with purpose. She needed to find something, and she needed to find it soon, or else Ashlyn's birthday wouldn't go like she wanted it to. Ashlyn had bugged Ali for years for this gift, and now that Ali felt like their lives were together enough, she was going to surprise Ashlyn with it. A few more taps on her phone and finally Ali found what she was looking for. She smiled as she dialed the number, calculating in her head how long it would take her to drive to pick it up. Thankfully, Ashlyn was having an all day surfing session with her friends and cousin, so she wouldn't be suspicious of Ali being gone for a few hours. 

Three hours later, Ali pulled into their driveway after picking up the surprise. She sat in her car for a few moments, waiting to see if Ashlyn would come out to greet her. She knew she was home, having gotten a text from her about 30 minutes ago. When no Ashlyn appeared, Ali grabbed the gift and headed into the house. She walked into the living room, where Ashlyn was sitting watching tv, and snuck up behind her girlfriend. Carefully, she situated the gift in her hand and leaned over the back of the couch, putting it in Ashlyn's lap. She didn't have to wait long for a response from the short haired brunette. 

"Oh my God, Alex. You got me a puppy?!" Ashlyn exclaimed happily, slowly taking the palm sized French bulldog puppy into her hands. She turned to Ali, a huge grin on her face. "Oh my gosh, I love you."

Ali giggled and walked around the couch, plopping down next to Ashlyn and their puppy. The little black and white dog squirmed in Ashlyn's hands and looked around the house, sniffing the air a few times. 

Ali kissed Ashlyn's dimple softly. "Happy birthday, baby."

Ashlyn kissed Ali deeply for a few seconds before pulling back, grinning at the dazed look Ali had in her eyes after it  "Thank you so much, babe. Seriously, this is like the best gift I've ever gotten." She took a few minutes to look the puppy over, noting his fur was mostly black, but he had white on his ears and little belly. He was absolutely adorable.  

"You're very welcome, Ash. I know you've wanted a puppy for awhile now, and I'm sorry we had to wait so long. Now that we've settled down here in Orlando, I thought it'd be best to take advantage of that and finally get you one." Ali smiled, running her fingers through the short hairs on Ashlyn's neck. 

Ashlyn pulled the puppy close to her chest, where it snuggled into her warmth. Ali could relate to it a lot. She loved to put her head on her girlfriend's chest and feel her warmth radiate all over her. She realized then that she might have some competition now. 

"Well," Ashlyn said, reaching for Ali's hand to squeeze it tightly. "Thank you, again. Honestly, I'm having trouble putting how grateful I am into words, so I guess thank you will have to suffice for now. I'm so excited to raise this little munchkin." she said, running her thumb over his forehead. "Where did you find him?" 

Ali smiled. "At a shelter about an hour and a half from here. He, along with a few of his brothers and sisters, were found in a box by a dumpster. A Good Sumaritan took them all to the shelter."

Ashlyn frowned. "I'll never understand how people can just leave their pets like that." She lifted the puppy up and looked at his cute face and big brown eyes. "I mean, look at that face. How could someone just give that up so easily?"

Ali rubbed her girlfriend's shoulders. "I love your heart, you know that?"

Ash grinned and kissed Ali's forehead softly. "And I love your heart, too."

They spent a little while playing with the puppy after that. Ali had stopped by a local pet store and picked up food, dog bowls, a purple leash and collar set (she just had to get Pride colors), a little doggie bed, and a few small toys for him to play with. He was pretty small, only being about a month old, so he tired out pretty quickly. Ashlyn picked him up from where he had fallen asleep on the floor and cuddled him close. 

"He needs a name, babe. What are you gonna call him?" Ali asked, pulling out her phone and snapping a picture of the two of them that was downright adorable. 

Ashlyn took a moment to study the sleeping pup, and then smiled. "Zeus. I'm calling him Zeus."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think, I love to read comments.


	6. My World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Ali welcome their first baby to the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, instead of studying for my Honors English test on Act III of Macbeth, I decided to write this one shot for you guys. Let's be honest, Krashlyn is more important than any test. Anyways, enjoy :)

You can't remember much of what happened in the hospital room before the baby came, aside from Ali grunting as she pushed and the pain in your hand as she squeezed the life out of it. And honestly, you're fine with not remembering. The first time you hear your brand new baby boy cry is a sound that will live in your mind and heart forever. 

He's small, but not too small, weighing only 6 pounds, 7 ounces, which to you is nothing. He's 21 inches long and had a head full of dark brown hair and eyes the same shade as Ali's. He's beautiful.

As Ali holds him for the first time, a green blanket wrapped snug around him and an orange hat on his head, you study every little part of his face. His eyebrows that arch slightly downwards as they get closer to his temples, his eyelashes that are dark and brush against his soft pink skin, his tiny button nose that is totally the cutest nose you've seen in your life, and his lips that are set in a little pout. You grin when you see that, knowing that Ali is going to teach him the pout she uses to get whatever she wants from you.  _Lord have mercy on me,_ you think. 

You watch as Ali coos to him, kissing his forehead where it's not covered. You can see the love radiating off of her, like a ray of sunshine. The way her eyes are sparking with unshed tears lets you know that this is one of the happiest moments of her life.

"I love you so much." she whispers, slowly running a finger over his cheek. "My son."

Her last words slowly register in your mind, and a smile bigger than any smile you've made in the past spreads across your face. _My son. I have a son._ you think, tears starting to make their way down your face. Your heart seems to swell at the thought. 

Ali finally takes her eyes off of the baby in her arms and looks at you lovingly. You smile at her, wiping the tears from your face before leaning in for a kiss.

"Here." Ali says, sitting up a little and gesturing for you to take your son. "Hold him. He wants to meet his Mama."

You gulp slowly, worried that you'll do something wrong like hold him the wrong way, or maybe drop him. Ali smiles at you reassuringly when she sees you hesitating. 

"Don't sorry, baby. Holding him will be like second nature to you after he's in your arms." she says. 

You nod. "He's just so little." you whisper. 

She grins. "Well then, good thing your hands are so big. He'll fit perfectly in your arms, I just know it."

You smile at her words. Slowly, carefully, you take his tiny body out of Ali's arms and bring him close to your chest. Just the weight of him against you is enough to make you start crying again. You smile through your tears, reveling in the feeling of holding your son for the first time. It's like nothing you've ever felt before. You lean down carefully to press your lips to his forehead. As you pull back, his eyes flutter open and he stares up at you, his big brown eyes piercing all the way to your soul. 

"I love you." you whisper reverently, engraining every second of this moment into your memory so you can never forget it.

As you stare at your son, a nurse walks in with a pad and pen. "I'm sorry to impose, but I need his name for his birth certificate." she whispers. 

You hear Ali answer. "Oliver Alexander Krieger-Harris."

"That's a beautiful name." the nurse said, and then excused herself from the room. 

You glance up at Ali, who is laying in her hospital bed with a relaxed and happy look on her face. "Thank you." you tell her. 

Her brow furrows. "For what?"

"For giving me him." you say, looking down at your son again. He's now fast asleep in your arms. "Thank you for giving me my world."


	7. Knight In Shining Armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashlyn gets protective of Ali at a bar, and things turn interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue how the heck this chapter came to be, it started out as something completely different. Oh well, it doesn't matter. Enjoy :)

Ashlyn has a very protective nature about her. Everyone who knows her knows this. If anyone she loves is in trouble, she's always the first one to go to their aid, throwing her own safety to the wind until her loved one is out of the situation and okay. She's especially protective of Ali, something that Ali loves and hates. She loves that Ashlyn would do anything to ensure her comfort and safety, but she hates it when Ashlyn puts herself in harm's way. It's a conflicting feeling. Ashlyn prides herself in being protective, but sometimes it backfires on her. 

The two of them decided to go to a nice bar, hoping to relax on a Saturday night. Ashlyn dressed in a navy blue, short sleeve button down shirt, black skinny jeans, a red skinny tie, and her beloved black boots. Ali went for a simple little black dress, one that was fit for a fun evening out. It fell just an above her knees and Ashlyn loved the way her ass looked in it. The two sat on some barstools and ordered drinks, toasting to a good time. They talked about everything they could think of, both ordering a few more drinks as the night went on. 

Their bodies always had a habit of leaning into each other while they talked. Their friends on the national team who have known them since they started dating like to tease them about it. Syd and Pinoe even mimicked them one time for a funny game of charades, and everyone in the room answered at the same time, yelling "Krashlyn!" Ali had groaned at the answer and shook her head, while Ashlyn smirked to herself. 

Ashlyn leaned a little more closer to Ali as the defender told a funny story about her and Kyle from when they were teenagers. 

"So, being the good little sister that I always was, I was snooping around Kyle's room looking for something to blackmail him with. He always found something on me, so I wanted something on him. Anyway, I opened up his bottom desk drawer, and voila. There it was, just the thing I needed. A gay porn magazine."

Ashlyn chuckled, knowing Kyle would've had one of those when he was younger. 

"So, I grabbed it and took it to my room. And, well, I was a little curious about what was in it, so I flipped through a few pages. Surprisingly to me, I found it really hot." Ali shakes her head at the memory with a smile. "I was so engrossed in it that I didn't hear Kyle open my door. The next thing I know, he's yelling for our mom to come to my room, saying I have a porn magazine. My mom comes up the stairs, very confused, and sees us fighting. I'm pissed at him for saying it was mine, and he's pissed at me for stealing it from him. So my mom says-"

"Hello beautiful." a tall guy with too many muscles says to Ali as he glides up next to her, getting too close for Ashlyn's liking. She's already angry at him for interrupting Ali's story, and now she's getting mad at him for invading Ali's personal space that only she's allowed to be in. 

Ali glances at him, her eyes and body posture showing how uncomfortable she is, and scoots her stool closer to Ashlyn's. "Not interested." she says. 

The man's brow furrowed. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that. Let me get you a drink to help you relax a little." he says, his time more forceful than Ashlyn wants it to be. Before Ashlyn can say anything, Ali speaks again. 

"I'm fine, no thank you." 

The man reaches out to Ali, a big gross hand grabbing onto her waist. Ashlyn sees red. 

"She said she's fine." she snaps, standing up and balling her fists at her side. 

He gives Ashlyn a hard look. "I don't believe you're in this conversation." He looks her over and then looks at Ali again. "Come with me, baby, you need a real man."

It's then that Ashlyn grabs the man's arm, clenching her jaw and looking him straight in the eyes. "I highly recommend you take your hands off of her and get away from us, right now." she says, her voice deep. 

The man just smirks, thinking Ashlyn won't do anything. 

"Ash." Ali says, warning her with her voice. She doesn't want this situation to get ugly. 

The man tries to yank Ali off of the barstool by her waist. Ashlyn shoves the man hard in the chest and he goes stumbling back, bumping into a table and almost falling over. 

"Don't fucking touch her." Ashlyn spits out at him. She can feel her blood pressure rising and her heart beating faster, her anger making everything quicken. 

Ali jumps off of the stool and puts a hand on her girlfriend's chest, using all her strength to stop her from walking toward the guy. "Ash, stop." she says. "Don't do anything stupid."

Ashlyn ignores her for the moment, watching the guy brush himself off and sneer at her. "You fucking dyke. Touch me again and see what happens." he says, taking a few steps toward the two women. 

Ashlyn pulls Ali until she's shielded behind her body. "You're a fucking pussy. You know that?" Ash says, and Ali cringes, just wanting everything to calm down so no one gets hurt. She tries to wrap her arms around Ashlyn's shoulders and pull her toward the exit, but the guy lunges before she can do anything. 

He gets the first hit, landing it on Ashlyn's side, and Ashlyn responds by punching him in the jaw, making him stagger a bit. People around them scurry out of the way, hoping to not get hit themselves. The man quickly kicks Ashlyn's leg, and while she's recovering, he grabs a beer bottle and swings it at her face. Ashlyn doesn't have time to put her arms up before it collides with her cheek, smashing into a million bits and pieces. Ashlyn grunts and grabs her face, wincing at the sting of the broken skin.

Ali feels enraged after this happens. She quickly steps up to the man and winds her leg back, sending it right into his crotch with all her strength, just like kicking a soccer ball. The man lets out a wail as she connects and crumpled to the floor, where Ali then grabs his head in both hands and knees him in the jaw, knocking him unconscious in the process.

She quickly turns to Ashlyn, who is trying to stop the bleeding by pressing her hand to the big gash on her cheek. She gently grabs her face and looks at the cut. 

"I think you're gonna need stitches baby." she says, wincing in sympathy when Ashlyn does. 

"Just great." the keeper grunts out looking at the man who is passed out on the floor. "What happened to him?" 

Ali smiles. "Defender legs. That's what happened to him."

///

At the hospital, Ashlyn is relieved to hear that she won't need stitches. The nurse puts some tape and a few butterfly bandages on her cheek, and tells her to ice it well for the next few days to keep swelling down. Her and Ali sit hand in hand in the room as they wait for Ashlyn's release papers. 

Ali kisses Ashlyn's bicep softly. "Please don't do that again."

Ashlyn sighs. "That wasn't my best moment, was it?"

Ali smiles a little. "Nope. But I am flattered that you stood up for me like that." She strokes her thumb over Ashlyn's knuckles softly. 

"I'll always protect you, baby." Ashlyn says, leaning down to kiss Ali's hairline. 

"My knight in shining armor." Ali smiles, pulling Ashlyn's hand to her lips to kiss it. "I love you, Ash."

Ashlyn smiles as much as she can with her bandaged and swollen cheek. "I love you too, Alex."


	8. (I Wish We Could Have Sex Right Now On) The Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Ali go to the beach, and Ashlyn gets feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After watching that video of Ash and ARod's son 50 times on repeat, I got inspired to write. God bless Allie Long. 
> 
> Baby Oliver returns in this one. Enjoy :)

Ashlyn woke up to the feeling of something being placed on her chest. She smiled before her eyes even opened, hearing the coos coming from her six month old son.  It was the perfect way to wake up. She opened her eyes and smiled bigger when she met Oliver's big brown eyes. 

"Hey, little man." Ashlyn whispered, putting a stabilizing hand on his back so he wouldn't wobble and roll off of her chest. "How are you this morning?"  

Oliver smiled at the sound of his Mama's voice, showing off his gums to her. His little hand came up to Ashlyn's nose, where it latched on and pulled. Ever since he was born it seemed, he was fixated with Ashlyn nose. Family and friends found it both hilarious and cute, especially when Ashlyn was talking to them and Oliver reached up and played with it.

Ashlyn chuckled at her son's actions. "Hey, you better be careful, little man. Mama's face is precious cargo." She heard a snort come from the doorway and looked up to see Ali walking in with a cup of coffee for Ashlyn and a bottle for Oliver. 

"It's your fault he loves your nose so much. It's too cute for him to resist." Ali smiled as she set Ashlyn's coffee on the nightstand. "You wanna feed him?" 

Ashlyn nodded, prying her son's finger off her nose gently before sitting up and situation him in her lap so he could eat. Ali gave Ashlyn a quick kiss as she passed her the warm bottle of breast milk. Oliver latched onto the bottle quickly and enjoyed his breakfast while his mommies planned their day. They decided a nice family beach day was in order.

Ali got all of their beach stuff ready while Ashlyn packed some sandwiches, chips, fruit, and drinks in a picnic basket. Ali was still busy finding things when Ashlyn finished, so the keeper decided to get Oliver ready. She walked into the living room whet he was and smiled at her son as she picked him up from his pack and play.

"Alright, Olly, it's time to get dressed for the beach." she said happily, making the baby smile and giggle a little. "You'll get to match Mama today, isn't that awesome? We're gonna wear matching trunks with sharks all over them and mommy is gonna wear that red bikini that drives Mama crazy. We're gonna have a great time."

Once both of them were shark trunk clad and Ali was in her bikini (which Ashlyn drooled over for a good minute before Ali pulled on short shorts and a tank top over it), the three of them headed to the beach. It wasn't too crowded thankfully, so the little family found a nice spot not too far from the water and a little shady thanks to some trees so Oliver wouldn't be in direct sun all day.

Ali held Oliver while Ashlyn applied sunscreen on him. "I wanna work on my tan." she mused, looking up at the sun.

"I wanna work on my sunburn." Ashlyn joked. 

Ali chuckled. "Dork."

"I try." Ashlyn smiled. 

Ali smiled as Oliver started playing with her hair. "Why don't you take him to play in the water while I tan, and after I'm done we can eat lunch and then all go in the water together?"

Ashlyn smiled and nodded. "Sounds good." She capped the sunscreen and looked Ali up and down as she grabbed Oliver. "I don't think you'll tan very good with all those clothes on though." she smirked. 

Ali smirked back at her and decided to tease her wife. She lifted a little bit of her tank top up so her stomach showed. "Too bad you have a child in your arms. If you didn't you could help me out of this."

Ashlyn's eyes flickered down to the newly exposed skin and she took a deep breath. Just that little move had her head swimming with hormones. It had been awhile since her and Ali had had sex, so her fuse was short right now. She felt like a teenager despite her real age. 

"Not fair." she breathed out, watching as Ali pulled her tank top off. She stared at her wife's breasts covered by the little bikini top and licked her lips. 

Ali smirked again, enjoying the way Ashlyn's chest flushed as she looked at her. She loved this woman so much she didn't know what to do sometimes. 

Oliver wobbled a little in Ashlyn's arms, causing the keeper to snap out of the hormone induced trance she was in. She hiked the baby higher on her hip and sighed, looking over Ali's body, taking in every muscle and marveling at how beautiful it was. 

"We need to get a baby sitter soon." she mumbled, then turned toward the ocean. "And a nice hotel room to stay in overnight."

She didn't see Ali nodding in agreement behind her. 


	9. The Most Important L Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali gets introduced to The L Word by Ashlyn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're a girl who likes girls and you haven't watched The L Word you seriously need to reevaluate your life. It's the best show ever. 
> 
> Also, thank you guys so much for getting me to ten thousand hits. My friend Emily was impressed when I told her lol. 
> 
> This one's set in 2013 in DC. Enjoy :)

Ali threw her training bag down near the door and went to the fridge to get a bottle of water and a banana. She sat down at the kitchen island and started scrolling through her phone, not looking up until she felt a kiss on the side of her face. 

"Hey, baby. How was the gym?" Ashlyn asked as she sat next to the defender. 

Ali shrugged. "It was alright. This really annoying guy kept trying to talk to me even though I had my headphones on." she said with an eye roll. 

Ash chuckled. "That's happened to me plenty of times. So, what do you want to do tonight? I kinda just want to relax and have a nice night in if that's alright with you."

Ali nodded and kissed Ashlyn's cheek. "Of course that's okay with me. That sounds perfect really."

"Alright. How does binge watching sound?"

"Ohh, yes please. I've been craving some Orange Is the New Black."

Ashlyn tilted her her head to the side, thinking for a moment while Ali finished her banana. 

"I like that show, but how about something else? Something even better than it?"

Ali raised an eyebrow. "What could be better than that? It has drama, lesbians, and pretty much the whole cast is women. It's awesome."

Ashlyn smiled and propped her head on her hands. "You've never seen The L World, have you?" she asked. 

Ali's brow furrowed. "Um, I don't think so."

Ashlyn stood up quickly, grabbing the defender's hand and pulling her off of her seat. "Well, I just cannot have a girlfriend who has never seen this totally amazing show. So," she said, leading Ali to the couch as she spoke. "We're gonna watch it tonight." 

Ali watched as Ashlyn went down the hall to their bedroom and then came back with a pink box set of all of the seasons of the show. Ashlyn put the first disk into the DVD player and hit play on the first episode. 

Ali snuggled up to Ashlyn when she came back to the couch. "So, what's the show about exactly?" she whispered as the first scene started. 

"Lesbians living in LA." Ashlyn smiled. 

Ali nodded once. "Okay. I like it already."

"If you have trouble with names let me know. I've watched all of the seasons several times so I know every character at a glance."

They were quiet then as the first episode progressed. Ali found herself instantly drawn to Alice, living how funny and witty she was. During the first scene in The Planet, Ashlyn sighed quietly as she looked at Dana. Ali noticed the sigh and looked at her questioningly. 

"What was that sigh for?" Ali asked, turning back to the show. 

Ashlyn sighed again. "I just love Dana so much." 

Ali smiled, finding it cute that the keeper had a little pout on her lips while watching the scene. Then after a few seconds of finding it cute, she got suspicious. She looked at Ashlyn again and narrowed her eyes. 

"Does something happen to Dana?" she asked. 

Ashlyn's lips flattened into a straight line. "I'm not gonna say anything." 

Ali leaned forward, grabbing the DVD controller and pausing the episode. "Ashlyn Michelle, tell me what happens to her. You know it's gonna eat at me the whole time we watch this if I don't know."

Ashlyn shook her head. "Nope. Not gonna happen. Sorry babe." 

Ali used her pouty face on the keeper, hoping it would break her resolve like it normally did. She was met with resistance this time though. Ashlyn unpaused the episode and pulled Ali back so she was leaning into her chest. 

"Just watch and enjoy." she said, kissing Ali's temple softly. 

"Marina is so beautiful." Ali commented, putting her arms around Ashlyn's waist and getting comfortable again.

"Oh yeah." Ashlyn agreed. "Gotta love a foreign chick."

"Shane's pretty hot too." Ali could see a little bit of Ashlyn in Shane, especially when it came to the amount of confidence she had. And they could both turn any straight girl gay without having to try too hard. 

About forty minutes into the episode, Ali was starting to notice something.  

"There's a lot of sex in this show, and it's only the first episode. Wow." she chuckled softly. 

"I know, isn't it great?" 

Ali chuckled again. "Yeah, it is. It's interesting to me that the sex scenes between Jenny and Tim seem so out of place in this show, considering most shows and movies these days only have a man and woman doing it. It's a nice change."

Ashlyn smirked. "I think you're getting gayer just from watching this babe." 

Ali smacked Ashlyn's stomach lightly. "Hush. Watch the sex scene." she said, thinking Ashlyn was probably right. 

They ended up watching about half of the season before calling it a night. As they climbed into bed Ashlyn asked Ali what she thought of the show so far. 

"I love it. I can't wait to finish it." Ali answered, getting into position to be the little spoon. 

Ashlyn wrapped her arms around Ali's waist and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the defender's neck. "I knew you'd love it. The last season is... wild. That's the only way I can describe it."

"Can't wait to see it then." Ali mumbled, already feeling drowsy from the heat of Ashlyn's body pressed into hers. "Love you baby."

Ashlyn kissed the top of her head. "Love you too beautiful."

A few minutes passed by as Ashlyn tried to fall asleep. She was right on the verge of unconsciousness when she heard Ali whisper something. "Love is the most important L Word. And I'm so happy I get to love you." 

Ashlyn buried her face into Ali's thick hair and sighed contentedly. "Me too, Alex. Me too." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of it :)


	10. Blue Ain't Your Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashlyn meet Ali at a bar and helps her get her spirits up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this last night instead of studying for another Macbeth test and an anatomy test. I don't regret it one bit. Honestly, who cares about Shakespeare and skeletal tissue when there's Krashlyn.
> 
> Inspired by the song Blue Ain't Your Color by Keith Urban. Enjoy :)

After a long week of work Ashlyn needed to go out and relax with a couple of drinks. She didn't drink often, but tonight felt like one of those nights she needed alcohol. She walked to a nearby bar, ordered a Johnny Walker on the rocks, and slowly sipped it as she reflected on her week. Her job as a high school guidance counselor was great, but sometimes it could get to be a bit hectic. She dealt with all of the normal stuff like helping kids with their academics, and also was there for students to talk to when they needed someone to listen. Having had her own struggles, she was able to give them advice that was genuine and heartfelt, not just the generic "It'll get better." speech. Her students loved her and she loved them. 

The bar was quiet for a Friday night, and Ashlyn didn't mind. The young bartender was busy cleaning glasses while watching the basketball game on the flat screen, and the only other people in the place were a small group of college kids. Their soft murmurs were a good distraction for Ashlyn so she wouldn't start thinking too much. 

Just as Ashlyn finished her drink, the bell above the door rang and Ashlyn glanced at who came in out of the corner of her eye. She did a double take, suddenly finding it hard to swallow the last ounce of whiskey still in her mouth. A small cough left her throat as it finally slid down, her eyes lingering on the beautiful brunette who had walked into the bar by herself. She studied her movements as the woman walked to the bar, trying not to notice how her black jeans fit her perfectly. 

The brunette slid onto the stool beside Ashlyn and let out a long sigh. The bartender came over and asked her what she was having. 

"A beer and two shots of tequila please." she answered in a voice Ashlyn instantly loved. It was soft and a little mumbly, and it rang in her ears like the sound of an angel singing. 

Ashlyn thought of saying something to the gorgeous woman with the melodic voice, but didn't have the chance before the bartender returned with the brunette's order. The woman mumbled a small "Thanks." and quickly downed the two tequila shots without much of a break between them. 

Ashlyn quirked an eyebrow. "Woah." she chuckled. "Rough day?" She signaled for a refill of her own drink and looked at the woman beside her. 

The brunette pushed the two shot glasses away from her and shrugged. "You could say that."

Ashlyn nodded slowly and decided to test the waters a little. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked quietly, hoping the brunette wouldn't tell her to fuck off. 

When the woman met her eyes, Ashlyn instantly saw the sadness housed in them. Her mind started reeling, wondering what could possibly have this gorgeous person so sad. 

"I have a therapist for that." the brunette said after a few moments of silence. She took a few sips of her beer and twirled it in her hands, staring at the label as she did. 

A smile twitched on Ashlyn's lips. "Okay, but you can talk to me for free." she said, hoping she would be received well. "My name's Ashlyn." She stuck out her hand as an invitation for the woman to take. She was relieved when she felt a soft hand settle into hers.

"Ali." the brunette said, squeezing Ashlyn's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Ashlyn smiled fully, her dimple on display. "Ditto." The bartender slid her her new drink and she took a small sip. "So, what's on your mind, Ali?" 

Ali sighed, not really knowing how to explain it. She thought for a minute and settled on "Relationship stuff I guess. Though we're not really in a relationship." She sighed and rubber her forehead. "He can be a real jerk." 

Ashlyn felt a pang of something, sadness maybe, in her chest when she heard the word 'he.' She'd be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to the brunette sitting beside her. Everything about her screamed sexy, and hot, and wonderful, and amazing. 

Ashlyn stopped her thoughts and focused on the conversation. Even though her chances with the woman were wiped away to zero, she was still going to be the kind and compassionate person she always was, and be there for the woman to talk to. 

"Well, what did he do?" Ashlyn asked, her mouth tasting bad when she said 'he.'

Ali rested her chin in the palm of her hand and met Ashlyn's eyes. "I think the better question is what doesn't he do."

Ashlyn waited patiently for her to continue. 

Ali picked at the label of her beer as she spoke. "He acts like a douche bag around my family, makes me look stupid to his friends, and cancels plans at the last minute all the time. He tells me all the time I should lose weight and my thighs are too big." She looked down at her lap and shook her head. 

Ashlyn frowned. "You don't need to lose weight Ali, your thighs are amazing. He's an asshole for saying that." she said, not really thinking before she spoke. Only when she saw the deep blush on Ali's cheeks did she realize how Ali might take the first part of her response. "Sorry, I just..." Ashlyn sighed and turned so her body was facing Ali's. She made sure the brunette met her eyes before she spoke. "You're beautiful, okay? You don't need to change a thing about your body." 

Ali's blush deepened and a small smile graced her lips. "Thank you, Ashlyn." Her throat swelled up with emotion. "He never tells me I'm beautiful." A few tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes. 

Ashlyn saw her eyes shining and pulled her stool closer to the brunette's. "Do you wanna know what I think?" she asked quietly, leaning an elbow on the bar as she tilted her head towards Ali's. 

Ali blinked quickly a few times to dry her wet eyes. "Sure."

"I think this guy doesn't deserve you. You're way too good for him. I've only known you for like 15 minutes, but I know that." Ashlyn slowly brought her hand up to Ali's face, pushing a few stray pieces of hair behind her ear. As she pulled it back, her fingers glanced over the skin of Ali's cheek. 

Ali's eyes fluttered a little at Ashlyn's touch, and her heart started beating faster in her chest. This woman affected her body in ways no man ever had before, and all she did was simply graze her cheek with her fingertips. She thought about what it would feel like for Ashlyn's hands to run all over her body, and a shudder ran up and down her spine. She had to take a deep breath to settle down. 

"I deserve better." she whispered to herself. She nodded a few times and smiled at Ashlyn. 

"Exactly. Don't let that dick make you feel bad again." Ashlyn said. She took a sip of her drink. "Ali, blue doesn't look too good on you." 

Ali nodded. "It doesn't feel good either."  _You sure make me feel good though,_ she thought to herself. She decided to act before she could chicken out. "Ashlyn, do you want to go and get something to eat with me? There's this great diner just down the street that has amazing food." she said, hoping her voice wouldn't sound as nervous as she was. 

Ashlyn smiled widely, her dimple almost disappearing because of how big her smile was. "Of course. I'd love to join you Ali." 

They walk to the diner, Ali's hand on Ashlyn's bicep as they went down the street. 

"So," Ashlyn starts a little hesitantly. "Is this a... date?" 

Ali looks at Ashlyn intently, loving the way the moonlight reflects in her hazel eyes. She then stops them and leans up to press a soft kiss to Ashlyn's lips. 

"What do you think?" she asked softly, enjoying the slight look of shock on Ashlyn's face. 

Once Ashlyn recovers enough, she leans down and kisses Ali, and this time the kiss is deeper and leaves both women with the answer they want. 

"Yeah, this is totally a date." Ashlyn chuckles as she pulls back from the brunette's lips. She weaves her fingers through Ali's and leads her into the diner, praying this won't be their last. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and comments are always appreciated.


	11. Ashlyn Harris: Snake Wrangler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali finds something interesting in her and Ashlyn's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've noticed I have a really bad habit of writing fan fiction instead of studying for tests... Oh well lol. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

"ASHLYN!! ASHLYN OH MY GOD COME HERE!" Ali screams from their bedroom, panic clear in her voice. 

Ashlyn takes off from her spot in the kitchen at full speed, gunning it up the stairs as her heart starts pounding hard against her ribs. She bursts through the bedroom door and finds Ali standing on their bed, fear in her eyes as she looks in the corner of their room. 

"What is it?" Ashlyn asked quickly, pausing in the doorway. 

Ali points to the corner of the room, her hand shaking. "I just saw a... a sn-snake." she says, her voice quivering. 

Ashlyn's eyes bulge a little as she walks into the room more. "A what?" she asks, hoping she had heard her girlfriend wrong. 

Ali shifts on the bed as the keeper gets closer to her, reaching for her shoulders and wrapping her arms around them. "A snake. I think it was an anaconda." 

Ashlyn sighs.  _Great. Another snake in my house._  she thinks, thinking about the last snake she had in her garage."Alright um..." she says, thinking of what to do. 

Ali gets impatient quickly. "Well, hurry up and get it, Ash."

Ashlyn frowns at the defender. "How exactly do you expect me to get it? Just grab it with my bare hands?" she says exasperatedly. 

Ali huffs. "I don't know, just get it. You know I hate snakes." she says with a shiver, picturing the snake again as it slid behind the desk in the corner of the room.

Ashlyn pats the back of Ali's thigh, trying to comfort her in their weird position. "Okay, just let me think. Where is it, anyway?"

"Behind the desk."

"Of course it is." Ash mumbles, looking around the room for something long to help her wrangle the snake. "Can you get me a bag babe?"

Ali looks at her like she has two heads. "No, I'm not getting on the floor with that thing. No way." She crosses her arms and frowns at her girlfriend.

Ashlyn raises an eyebrow. "And it's okay for me to be down here with it?"

Ali smiles a little. "Yeah, you're my big bad keeper. You need to be down there to protect me from it." she says, giving Ash her best puppy dog eyes. 

Ashlyn shakes her fist a few times in the air jokingly. "It's a good thing I love you." She runs downstairs to get a broom, hoping she can just sweep the thing toward their deck and it'll go back to the wilderness. 

When she gets back to their room, Ali has her phone in her hand ready to record the whole fiasco. "This is so going on Instagram." Ali says, snapping a quick picture of the keeper with the broom. "My little snake wrangler."

With a shake of her head and a smile, Ash climbs over the bed to the deck doors to slide them open. "Okay, so my plan is to use this broom to get the snake to go out on the deck. Hopefully the thing won't come back after this because I think he'll be deaf if he does."

Ali fakes offense. "I didn't scream that loud." 

Ashlyn chuckles. "I'm surprised Alex hasn't called me wondering what you were screaming about. You don't even scream that loud when were having sex."

The defender's eyes narrow at the keeper. "Get the snake out of the house and we'll see how loud I can get."

Ashlyn perks up quickly. "Oh Mister Snake. Where are you?" she says in a sing song voice, making Ali laugh. 

Ali records every second of Ashlyn sweeping the snake out of its hiding spot behind the desk. Both women scream a few times when the snake makes quick movements, but Ashlyn uses the long wide broom to keep it from going the wrong way. The last thing they need is a rogue snake loose in their beautiful house. 

"Come on you stupid snake." Ashlyn groans, pushing the broom close to it so it moves onto the deck. "Hurry up. Some of us are trying to get laid here."

Ali laughs and turns the camera to herself. "I never actually said she'd be getting laid for doing this. She made that up herself."

Ashlyn turns to Ali with a pout on her lips. "Liar." With one last push of the broom, the snake slithers off the deck and falls to the grass below. Ashlyn watches as it makes its way away from the house. "Good riddance." she mumbles, going back into the house and smiling at her girlfriend who is now kneeling on the bed. 

"Good job baby. Thank you." Ali says as she leans in for a kiss. She locks her phone and drops it on the bed. 

Ashlyn throws the broom down and puts her hands around the backs of Ali's strong thighs, pulling her so she can wrap the defender's legs around her waist. She smiles slyly as she leans forward, placing Ali on her back. She hovers over her for a second, just looking down at her beautiful girlfriend.

"How about rewarding me for my great snake wrangling skills?" Ashlyn asks quietly, leaning down to kiss Ali's lips softly. 

Ali hums thoughtfully. "I guess I can do that." she whispers, pulling Ashlyn's mouth to hers. 

Not two seconds after their lips touch is Ali's phone ringing beside them. Ashlyn groans and pulls back reluctantly to see who it is. When she sees Alex's face on the screen she grabs it. 

"It's Alex." she says, swiping her thumb on the screen to answer it. "Hey, bad timing, Baby Horse." 

"THERE'S A SNAKE IN MY HOUSE COME GET IT OUT ASH!" Alex tells into the phone. 

Ashlyn sighs quietly, slowly peeling Ali's legs off of her waist. She grabs the broom off the floor. "I'll be there soon." she says with a smile, then hangs up. "Looks like our little friend found Alex's house."

Ali lets out a groan that turns into a chuckle. "Well, go on them snake wrangler. Save the day again."

Ashlyn leaves a chaste kiss on Ali's lips and then walks downstairs, her snake wrangling broom perched on her shoulder. "I should start a company for this." she mumbles to herself as she closes the front door behind her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By chance, does anyone who reads this go to Washington & Jefferson College? That's where I'm going to college this coming fall so I was wondering. 
> 
> Also, I'm willing to take requests for one shots so feel free to comment and suggest one for me to do.


	12. Olly's First BFF

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Oliver gets his first ever best friend at the age of 11 months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a request I got and I tried to make it as cute as I could while being really tired. Writing it helped me forget about the terrible person we have as president here in the US. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Ali smiles at Oliver as she sees his eyelids dropping. Everyday around two o'clock, he tries to fight off sleep to no avail. He's a happy baby and he loves to play with his toys all day long, which in turn tires him out. Today is no different. He spent all morning playing in his bouncer, exercising his 11 month old legs to make them stronger. Now, his head is bobbing up and down as he tries to stay awake, and Ali finds it downright adorable. She walks over to his bouncer and carefully lifts him out of it and into her arms. 

"Come on little man, its time for your nap." she whispers to him as his head rests on her chest. She rubs his bottom as she climbs the stairs to his nursery. When she reaches his room he's still, but barely, awake, so she decides to sit in the rocking chair and cradle him in her arms. 

Her lips curl up when Oliver's little fist comes up to run his eye and he lets out a yawn. She knows there's nothing more adorable in the world than her son when he's sleepy. Oliver burrows against her chest as he finally falls asleep, a pout forming on his lips. Ali takes him to his crib after a few minutes of holding her perfect son in her arms. 

"Have a good nap, Olly. Mommy loves you." she says quietly, leaning down to kiss his forehead. Before she leaves the room she turns on the baby monitor. She softly closes the nursery door and then practically runs to her bedroom where Ashlyn is. 

Ali quickly shuts the door behind her and pulls off her shit, leaving Ashlyn to raise a questioning eyebrow at her wife. 

"He's asleep." Ali says happily, working on her leggings now. She gives Ashlyn a look. "Why do you have so many clothes on?" She walks over to the short haired brunette and kisses her soundly. "Too many clothes." she mumbles as she fists Ashlyn's short in her hands. 

Ashlyn chuckles quietly. "Have you had this planned all day? Sex after he falls asleep for his nap?" she says, wrapping her arms around Ali's waist. 

Ali nods curtly. "Yes. Yes I have." 

Ashlyn just chuckles again and shakes her head. 

"What? I'm a hot mommy who needs to get laid." Ali says sassily with a nice hair flip. "So, you gonna help me or not?"

She smiles when she feels Ashlyn pull her body close, the keeper's hands on her ass. 

"Since you asked so nicely..." Ashlyn smirks, leaning down to nibble on the defender's bottom lip. 

Ali takes control of the kiss quickly, already feeling worked up from Ashlyn's skilled mouth on hers. Their tongues dance together for a few minutes while Ashlyn continues to knead Ali's ass in her hands. The keeper's hands slowly glide down to her wife's thighs, and she quickly hikes the defender up so her strong legs wrap around her waist. Ali lets out a soft moan as Ashlyn lays her down on their bed. They kiss for a few more minutes, and Ashlyn is just about to unhook Ali's bra when there are a few knocks on the front door downstairs. Both women groan and frown as they pull back from their heated kiss. 

"Who the fuck is that?" Ali mumbles, sitting up in bed as Ashlyn hands her her shirt and leggings from off the floor. 

"I'll go check." Ashlyn says, giving Ali a quick kiss before walking downstairs. She goes to the front door and opens it, hoping she doesn't look too annoyed. "Kyle! What are you doing here?" she asks as her brother-in-law smiles at her and moves past her into the house. 

"Surprise! The queen has arrived." Kyle exclaims, setting his suitcases down and holding his arms out. 

Ali clears her throat as she walks into the room. "First of all, I'm the queen, and second," She launches herself into her brother's arms and holds him tightly. "What are you doing here?" she smiles. 

Kyle smiles wider. "I got a last minute job for a wedding photo shoot nearby, soooo, I figured my lovely sisters would be so gracious as to house me for the next few days so a bish can save some money."

Ashlyn rolls her eyes. "Of course, welcome to Hotel Krieger-Harris. There's a nice patio chair you can sleep on outside." 

Kyle acts excited. "Wonderful! Just what I like." he jokes. 

Once Kyle gets his things settled in the guest room, all three of them to go the living room and chat. 

"You looked a little flushed when you answered the door, Ash. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." Kyle smirks. 

Ashlyn smiles a little and shrugs. "It's alright."

Ali crosses her arms. "Is it though?" she directs at her wife, raising an eyebrow. 

Ashlyn plays it smart and keeps her mouth shut. Kyle speaks so his sister-in-law won't be forced to answer. 

"Where's my favorite nephew?" he asks, sprawling out on the love seat to get comfortable. 

"Napping." Ali says. "He went down not too long ago. He fought it and he looked so cute." Her heart swells as she thinks about her precious baby boy. 

Kyle nods with a small frown. He had wanted to see and hold Oliver, but he was okay with having to wait a little while longer. "Maybe since I'm down here with all my photography stuff we can do a little photo shoot for him." he suggests. 

Ashlyn smiles widely. "I love that idea. I really want pictures of him by the beach."

Ali chuckles at a memory and grabs her wife's hand. "Just make sure he doesn't eat any sand this time when you set him in the sand babe."

//

The next day, while Ali is at the gym and Kyle is occupying Oliver with a sweet game of peek a boo, Ashlyn gets a call from her friend Jess. Jess speaks before Ashlyn can even say hello. 

"They're here." she says simply, waiting for Ashlyn's reaction. 

Ashlyn gasps and starts jumping up and down in excitement. "Oh my gosh, really?! Oh man, I can't wait to see them. I'll be at your house asap."

Jess laughs on the other end. "Alright, Ash. I'll see you then."

Kyle walks into the kitchen where Ashlyn was freaking out with Oliver in his arms. He raises an eyebrow at the keeper. 

"What's got you all happy?" he asks while making Oliver giggle by making faces. 

Ashlyn puts her phone in her pocket and smiles widely. "Jess's French bulldog finally had her puppies and we need to leave now so I can see them in the next hour." she rushed out, searching for Oliver's diaper bag and her keys. 

"Okay." Kyle shrugs, just going with it. He grabs his bag of photography stuff and follows Ashlyn out to her car. "We can have Oliver's photo shoot on the way back." 

Ashlyn nods as she buckles Oliver into his car seat. She kisses his forehead, texts Ali their plans, and then they're on their way. 

They make it to Jess's house not long after, and Ashlyn is bouncing in anticipation of seeing the adorable pups. Jess answers the door with one of them in the palm of her hand, and Kyle is glad he was the one holding Oliver, because Ashlyn goes straight for the pup. She cups it in her hands, cooing at how cute it is. There are six puppies in all, three being mostly white with small brown spots, two being all black, and one being light brown with a white belly. Ashlyn and Kyle gush over them for a few minutes, holding each puppy and kissing their little heads. 

When Oliver sees the puppies, he immediately starts reaching out for them, wanting to hold them. His big brown eyes sparkle with happiness as Ashlyn settles him in her lap and helps him pet the light brown puppy with the white belly. The little boy lets out a peel of giggles when he feels the puppy's soft fur. 

"You like the puppy, don't you Olly?" Ashlyn asks her son, smiling widely at the look on his face. The few teeth he has are in full display as he smiles and laughs. 

Ashlyn lets him pet the puppy for a few more minutes before letting Kyle take it so he can see it. To Ashlyn's surprise, Oliver starts bawling his eyes out. 

"What's wrong little man?" she asks softly, holding him close to her chest. 

The little boy turns and points to the puppy Kyle had cuddled to his chest, big tears falling from his eyes. 

Ashlyn wipes Oliver's face and kisses his small hand. "You miss the puppy?" 

Oliver sniffles a few times and reaches for the puppy, letting out a loud cry when he can't reach him. 

Kyle walks closer and shushes the boy softly. "Its okay, Olly. See, he's right here." he says, holding the puppy close to Oliver. 

As soon as Oliver's little hand makes contact with the puppy's fur, he stops crying and starts giggling. Ashlyn chuckles, shaking her head. 

"He sure knows how to get what he wants." she mumbles. 

Kyle snickers. "We have Alex to blame for that." 

Jess walks over to them. "You can have it, you know." she says, referring to the puppy. 

"I don't know... Alex might not want it." Ashlyn sighs. She would love to take the puppy home, seeing as how Oliver seems to be attached to him, but she doesn't want to just say yes and then have her wife be mad at her for not asking her first. 

Kyle pulls Ashlyn's phone out of her pocket and opens the camera. "I'm gonna send Ali a picture of Oliver and the puppy being all cute together. She won't be able to say no if she sees Olly smiling at it."

Ashlyn smiles. "True. Good idea."

She sits down on a nearby couch for the picture, holding Oliver close and the puppy in her palm. Oliver is still smiling and giggling happily at the puppy, so getting a good picture to send to Ali is pretty easy. 

Ashlyn sends the picture to Ali with the words "Look at that face! I think he wants to take him home. What do you say baby? :)"

Not even ten seconds later Ashlyn gets a response. "You know I can't say no to him. So cute! Yes :)"

Ashlyn does a little fist pump of victory. "She said yes!"

Kyle laughs. "You sound more excited for this than you did when she said she'd marry you."

Ashlyn rolls her eyes and looks down at Oliver, kissing the top of his head. 

"Looks like you have a best friend, little man. Let's just think of a name for him." She thinks for a few minutes and then settled on a name. "He looks like a Cooper. Do you like that name Olly?"

Oliver looks up at the sound of his Mama's voice and shows off his few teeth in a big smile. Ashlyn kisses his nose softly. 

"I'll take that as a yes."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear what you think about this one :)


	13. A Morning Glimpse Into the Krieger-Harris Household

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little one shot of a simple morning at Ash and Ali's house. Oliver returns :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I honestly don't know how this oneshot came to be. It just... happened after I stared at my iPad for awhile. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Ali wakes up to the sun hitting her eyes, the sound of birds chirping coming from outside. After her eyes flutter open, she takes a few minutes to revel in the feeling of the hard muscles in Ashlyn's arms flexing around her. Her fingers slowly trace the ink on Ashlyn's left arm by memory. She starts in the crook of the keeper's elbow, then works her way down her forearm, finally ending at her wrist where she then folds her hand around the now waking keeper's bigger one. 

"Morning gorgeous." Ashlyn husks out in her deep morning voice. 

Ali smiles and slowly turns in Ashlyn's arms, stretching her muscles as she does. 

"Morning baby." she whispers. She settles back into Ashlyn's arms, pressing her forehead to her wife's shoulder. 

Ashlyn peeks over Ali's shoulder to see what time it is. The alarm clock says 7:49am. "I'm surprised we didn't get woken up by Oliver like usual."

Ali chuckles. "Me too. And Cooper."

Ash nods. "Can't forget Cooper." she says, thinking about the rambunctious duo that is Oliver and Cooper. The three year old and his faithful dog are always together and having a good old time. It's actually a little unsettling to not see them together. 

Ali sighs. "Better go see what he's up to now I guess." she says, dreading being out of Ashlyn's warm embrace, but knowing she has responsibilities as a mother. 

Before Ali can move too far, Ashlyn grabs her hand and pulls her back. "Wait. I didn't get my morning time with little Charlotte." she smiles, pushing the covers away and scooting down the bed to rest near Ali's pregnancy belly. 

Ali smiles and runs her fingers through her wife's short, sleep disheveled hair. "How could I forget about that?"

Ashlyn runs her hands over Ali's skin, hoping to feel a kick from her baby girl. She isn't deterred when she doesn't feel anything. She leans down and pressed a soft kiss to the bump. 

"Hi Charly, it's Mama." she whispers, her face close to Ali's skin. "I hope you're doing okay in there, beautiful. I just wanted to tell you like I do every morning and night that I love you so much, and I can't wait to meet you." She presses another kiss to the bump. "Could you maybe kick for me this morning? I've missed feeling your little feet press against my hands." She rubs her hands around on Ali's belly. "Come on, sweetie. Just one little kick."

Ali smiles the whole time Ashlyn talks to her belly. It's so endearing to hear her wife talk so lovingly to their little girl before she's even born. 

"She's not gonna stop kicking once she starts, so I'll be fine with her not giving you a kick." Ali says, massaging Ashlyn's head with her fingers. 

Ashlyn shakes her head and lowers her voice. "Don't listen to Mommy, kick all you want baby girl." she whispers to Ali's bump. 

Ali rolls her eyes and then sighs when she feels Charlotte start kicking like crazy. 

Ashlyn chuckles and presses her hand to the spot Charlotte likes to kick over and over again. "That a girl, Charlotte." She feels her daughter's foot press against her palm and she smiles widely. 

The bedroom door swings open and Oliver walks/stumbles sleepily into his parent's room, Cooper on his heels. "Mommy, I hungry." he mumbles, clutching his favorite teddy bear by the arm in his left hand while rubbing his eyes with his right fist. 

Ashlyn takes a break from feeling Charlotte's kicks to lift Oliver onto the bed with them. Cooper, knowing better than to jump on Ash and Ali's bed, lays down on the floor and watches his favorite little human interact with his mommies. 

"You're hungry, huh?" Ali asks. Oliver nods, looking blurry eyed. "Alright. How about pancakes?" 

Oliver smiles, showing off the single dimple in his left cheek. The little boy didn't know that his dimple was a miracle. Ashlyn likes to joke that she's so good in bed that she actually did get Ali pregnant and passed on her wonderfully adorable dimple to the boy. 

"Yeah, Mommy. They's my favorite." Oliver says, looking more awake by the second. He notices Ali's bare belly and smiles wider. "Charly 'wake now?" His brown eyes sparkle with happiness as he thinks about his little sister. 

"Yes. Mama woke her up." Ali says, giving Ashlyn a pointed look. She can feel the baby moving all around in her belly. 

"Yay!" Oliver cheers, throwing his arms up in the air. He leans down and pressed a kiss to Ali's belly, then sighs. "Sissy, you needs to get her fast. I getting tired of waiting." 

Ashlyn and Ali laugh together at their son's words. Ashlyn stands and holds her hands out for Oliver, who doesn't hesitate to leap into his Mama's arms. The keeper helps Ali get out of bed and the three of them, plus Cooper, head downstairs to the kitchen to start making breakfast. 

Ali smiles to herself as she gets the milk out of the fridge. She glances over her shoulder at her wife and son who are acting like monsters in the family room. She giggles at the look on Ashlyn's face as she roars, and puts a hand on her growing belly. 

"You're in for an interesting life, baby girl." she whispers. "A very interesting life." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are greatly appreciated. They make me want to write more. 
> 
> If anyone wants to follow me on Twitter, look me up: @yo_im_AmberLynn


	14. Last First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali and Ashlyn meet when they're teenagers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this isn't that good, I'm really frickin tired. I needed to get it done tonight and post since I'll be busy this weekend. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

The day Ali Krieger moves to Florida, Ashlyn Harris is drowning. Not in a real ocean, but an emotional one. Her parents are screaming at each other in their drunken state, and she hears the word 'divorce' several times through the paper thin walls of her room. Chris is gone, doing who knows what kind of drug with who knows what kind of people, and she's having a hard time dealing with it all. Dark thoughts swirl around in her head, making it hard to think. The next thing she knows, she's barreling down the stairs and out the door, her longboard under her right arm. She skates and skates until her house is no longer in view and she's out of her neighborhood. Her head stays down as she stares at the pavement underneath her, so she doesn't see the parked moving van until she smacks into it, her longboard flipping over and hitting her in the jaw after she falls to the ground in a heap. 

The day Ashlyn Harris smacks into the moving van, Ali Krieger is standing inside it looking for the box with all of her books in it. She gasps when she hears the thud, her head whipping toward the sound. The only thing she sees is a few wisps of blonde hair traveling toward the ground. She runs toward the opening at the back and peers down at the person sprawled out on the ground. They moan in pain, running their jaw where a longboard just hit them. Ali hops down and kneels beside the person. 

"Are you okay?" she asks, trying to find the person's eyes through their mane of blonde hair. 

The person roughly shakes their head to get the hair out of their face. Their hazel eyes find Ali's chocolate brown ones, and Ali swears the person's eyes grow ten times bigger. Their stare continues for a few seconds that feel like hours. Finally, Ali asks her previous question again to break it. 

"Are you okay? You hit pretty hard." 

Ashlyn blinks a few times and slowly sits up, shoving her beloved longboard that turned into an assaulting longboard away from her. It stops once its wheels hit the curb.

"I think I am." she mumbles, rubbing her jaw. "I'll have a nasty bruise though." She sighs and meets the brunette's eyes again, feeling her heart construct in her chest. Her mouth goes dry as she looks at the beautiful specimen in front of her. 

"You scared me." the brunette says, sitting back on her heels. "You should be more careful riding that thing." She gives Ashlyn's longboard a pointed look. 

A breathy laugh leaves Ashlyn's throat. "Yeah, I guess."

The brunette drums her fingers against her thighs, thinking of what to say. "So um, do you want an ice pack or something for your jaw?" 

Ashlyn shakes her head. "No, that's okay." She looks at the van. "I'm gonna guess by the moving van that your family is new to the neighborhood?"

Ali nods. "Yeah, well, I am at least. I'm moving in with my mom." She glances at the front door, surprised that her mom hasn't come out to see what was taking her so long to bring in another box to unpack. "I'm Ali by the way. Ali Krieger."

"Ashlyn Harris." the blonde says, sticking out a slightly scuffed hand for Ali to shake. "Welcome to Satellite Beach, Ali."

The brunette smiles as she feels Ashlyn's hand in hers. It's bigger than hers and she likes the way in enfolds her hand completely. Her heart stutters a little as she realizes this, wondering what it means. She shakes it off quickly and answers the blonde. 

"Thanks Ashlyn." she smiles. She sighs as she looks at the moving van and all the boxes still in it. "As much as I hate to say this, I better get back to work."

Ashlyn finally stands up and brushes herself off. Ali stands with her. "I can help you if you'd like."

Ali shakes her head with a small smile. "You'd really offer to help me move my things out of the moving van you just smacked into? That's honorable."

Ashlyn shrugs. "I'd do anything for a beautiful girl." she says, instantly wanting to kick herself in the ass after the words leave her mouth.  _You're such an idiot,_ she thinks to herself. 

Ali ducks her head as a blush forms over her cheeks. She wants to blame it on the hot temperature, but she can't. She knows why it happened. Ashlyn called her beautiful, and she liked it. 

Ashlyn rubs her neck awkwardly for a few seconds. "I'm, I mean, I'd be really happy to help you." 

Ali swallows hard and nods, forcing a smile on her face that she's confident Ashlyn can see right through. "Grab a box, Harris." she gets out through the lump in her throat, turning around a hopping into the back of the moving van. 

It's then, when Ashlyn can't see her face, that she lets a wide smile break free, her lower lips trapped between her teeth.  _This girl is doing interesting things to me,_ she thinks. 

//

Ashlyn is pleasantly surprised to see that Ali is in her homeroom at school. The blonde smiles at the brunette as she walks into the classroom with her schedule that is still hot from the printer. Ali smiles when she sees Ashlyn sitting in the corner of the room. She's glad she knows one person at the school already. She deals with the teacher and then sits in the empty desk on Ashlyn's left. 

"Hi." Ashlyn smiles at her, and she notices for the first time the blonde had a single dimple in her left cheek. She can't help but find it adorable. 

"Hey." Ali says, trying to calm her heart down as it pounds in her chest. Being close to Ashlyn makes her nervous, in a good way. She clears her throat and looks at her schedule. "What do you have first period?"

Ashlyn frowns. "English with Mrs. Thatcher."

Ali sighs. "Dang. I have Trig with Mr. Putlock."

A small smirk forms on Ashlyn's lips. "Were you hoping we'd have classes together so you'd get to look at me longer?" she asks slyly, raising an eyebrow. 

Ali's heart stutters and she blushes a little.  _Oh shit, that's exactly why I asked her,_ she realizes.  _What the hell?_ She shyly tucks a strand of hair being her ear. "Um..." She can't even think of an answer. 

Ashlyn smiles at Ali, loving the way her cheeks are red and she looks bashful. "If you do want to look at me longer you could accompany me on a date tonight." she says, really going for it. The worst thing that could happen was Ali saying no. 

"No." 

The smile on Ashlyn's face falls faster than one ever has in her life. She opens her mouth a few times but no words come out. She doesn't know what to say. 

Ali looks down at her hands after seeing Ashlyn responds to being told no. She didn't like turning her down, but she needed time to settle in and figure out what the heck is going on with her and the blonde who currently looks like a fish out of water. She doesn't want to hurt Ashlyn. 

"Sorry." she finally mumbles, picking at the dark blue nail polish on her thumb. 

Ashlyn takes a long breath in and then clears her throat. She can feel unshed tears burning her eyes. "It okay. I'm... I'm sorry I asked." 

Ali looks up at the dejected sound in Ashlyn's voice. She glances around the mostly empty room and sees no one is paying attention to them. She reached for one of Ashlyn's hands and squeezes it. Ashlyn smiles a little at the contact. 

"Hey. Ask me again in say, one week. Okay?" Ali asks, smiling at the blonde. 

Ashlyn feels a little confused, but decides to just go with it.

"Okay." she nods, hoping the next week goes fast. 

//

For the next six days, all Ali can think of is Ashlyn. They have lunch and eight period study hall together, so Ali gets to see Ashlyn then, which she enjoys very much. She uses study hall to study nothing but Ashlyn, always looking at her from across the aisle. When Ashlyn catches her staring, which is often, she offers Ali a smile that is bordering on a smirk. Every time the blonde does that Ali's heart squeezes and stutters in her chest.

The day before Ashlyn is supposed to ask her out again, Ali comes to a realization: she's falling in love. 

There really is no other way to explain what's happening to her. When Ashlyn looks into her eyes Ali feels shaken to her very core. Every time she thinks of her a smile breaks out on her face. It doesn't matter where she is. She could be at the grocery store, on the couch watching tv, in her bedroom... or in her shower. She's smiling because of Ashlyn, and she knows with every fiber of her being that she's fallen for the blonde. It doesn't matter that she's only known her for a week; she knows. 

The day of the one week mark is a Friday. Ali expects Ashlyn to ask her out as soon as they see each other in homeroom, but the blonde doesn't. Ali tries to act normal even though she's bursting at the seams to tell Ashlyn yes. I'm all of her classes she's zoned out, and she totally fails her Trig quiz because all she can think about is Ashlyn.

Ashlyn makes her move in study hall five minutes before the last bell of the day rings. She slides a piece of folded paper onto Ali's desk when the teacher is on her computer. Ali raises a playful eyebrow at the blonde.  _Passing notes,_ she thinks.  _What are we, fifth graders?_ The brunette unfolds the paper and smiles. I'm Ashlyn's elegant handwriting is the question "Will you go out with me?" with two boxes below it, the first one labelled "Yes" and the other one "Yes." Ali chuckles at the cuteness of it, checks both boxes, and slides it back to the blonde. Ashlyn does a discreet fist bump when she sees Ali's answer. 

Ashlyn walks Ali to her car after the bell rings. "So," she says, "I'll be at your house at 7. Dress comfortably."

Ali smiles and squeezes the blonde's hand before getting into her car. She rolls the window down after staring it and looks up at Ashlyn with happy eyes. "I'll see you at 7, Harris." she says, then drives away, wondering what they're going to do tonight. 

At 6:59, Ashlyn knocks on Ali's front door. She's impressed when it opens two seconds after she's done tapping. She nearly falls over when she sees Ali. Only the brunette could make simple jean short shorts and a tank top look so simple yet so sexy. 

"Hi." Ashlyn says, holding out a bouquet of lilies for Ali to take. 

Ali puts a hand on her chest as she grabs the flowers. "You're so sweet." she gushes, bringing them close to her nose to smell them. "Thank you so much. Let me just put them in water and then we can go."

When Ali returns she looks at Ashlyn's outfit. She looks so good in her short sleeve button up shirt and black board shorts. 

"So, where are we going?" she asks, excited to start their date. 

Ashlyn smiles, showing off her dimple. "That's for me to know, and you to find out." She hold her arm out for Ali to take. They link elbows and start toward their destination. Ten minutes later, Ashlyn leads Ali to a secluded little piece of beach with an amazing view of the ocean and sky. Ali smiles when she sees a blanket laid out in the sand with a picnic basket and a bottle of champagne on it. 

"Wow. Very romantic." she praises as they settle on the blanket. 

"Thank you. Like I said at our first meeting, I'd do anything for a beautiful girl." Ashlyn says. She sets out the food and pours them each a small cup of champagne. She offers hers up in a toast. "To first dates."

"And to many dates after." Ali says, tapping her cup with Ashlyn's. 

Ashlyn smiles wide at that statement and sips her champagne. "Let's eat! I'm starving."

Ali giggled at Ashlyn's enthusiasm to eat. They make easy conversation through their meal, learning things about each other and telling stories. As the sun lowers in the horizon, both girls realize they're alike in more ways than they thought. 

"My parents are divorced." Ali says, swirling her refilled champagne around. "My mom remarried to a nice guy and my dad has a great girlfriend. I have a brother named Kyle, and I have absolutely no idea where he is right now. He's an addict." She swallows hard to get the lump out of her throat. "I miss him so much."

Ashlyn wraps an arm around Ali's shoulders and holds her tightly. "I don't know where my brother is either, so I know how it feels." she murmurs, her lips close to Ali's temple. "My parents..." She takes a deep breath, preparing herself to tell someone something she's never told anyone before. "My parents are alcoholics and addicts. Everyday they scream at each other they're leaving one another. I try to stay out of the house as much as I possibly can."

Ali laces her fingers in Ashlyn's. "I'm sorry, Ash." she whispers, staring into hazel eyes wet with unshed tears. She feels her own eyes dampen, the need to cry taking over her body. She sniffles once and feels Ashlyn's arm hooking behind her knees to pull her onto the blonde's lap. Tears start falling down her cheeks as she holds into the hard, muscular body beneath hers. 

"Shh, Ali. It's alright. I've got you." Ashlyn whispers into Ali's hair, tightening her grip on the brunette. 

Ali sobs quietly on Ashlyn's shoulder, appreciating the way Ashlyn was holding her to comfort her. After she's calm again she wipes her eyes and looks at Ashlyn. She loves the caring gaze she's receiving from the blonde. Her hand comes up to cup Ashlyn's cheek, her thumb rubbing back and forth on the soft skin. 

"I feel so good when I'm with you Ashlyn." she says, shaking her head sofly, brow furrowed. "All I have to do is think of you and I get happy and feel... I don't know. Normal. Wanted." She stares into hazel eyes swimming with emotion and smiles. "I know I've only known you for a little over a week, but..." A tear rolls down her cheek and Ashlyn's thumb reaches up to wipe it away. "I'm falling in love with you, Ashlyn." 

Ashlyn's eyes start watering and she can't stop the tears from falling. She cups Ali's face softly in her hands and leans their foreheads together. "I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels that way." she whispers. 

Ali laughs gleefully through her tears. Ashlyn feels the same way she does, and it feels glorious. Fuck what people think. They fell in love in one week, and they're completely fine with that. 

Ali runs her hands down the sides of Ashlyn neck. Ashlyn tilts her head up and presses a kiss to Ali's forehead, then her cheeks, then her nose. Ali's breath hitches in her throat when she feels Ashlyn's breath ghost over her lips. Her eyes drift closed as she feels Ashlyn lean all the way in, pressing their lips together in by far the best first kiss Ali has ever had. She falls even more in love with Ashlyn in that moment. The kiss lasts for a few seconds and Ali relishes in the taste of Ashlyn's lips on hers. She gets sad when Ashlyn pulls back, but the loving look in her eyes makes it all better. 

No more words need to be spoken between the two of them. They both know that that was their last ever first kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated, as well as requests.


	15. Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali hates thunder storms, so she asks Ashlyn to distract her. Ashlyn knows exactly what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Superbowl Sunday guys! Guess who's only watching for the commercials and halftime show? Yeah, me. 
> 
> This one gets a little *clears throat* rated m. Enjoy :)

Ali's whole body jerks when she hears the sound of lightning cracking just outside the house. Goosebumps rise on her arms as a shiver goes down her spine. She pulls the blanket wrapped tightly around her closer to her chin in an attempt to calm herself down. Her whole life, she's been terrified of thunder storms for some reason she can't explain. Now that she's finally living with Ashlyn in Florida, a state famous for wicked storms and hurricanes, her fear of them has increased tenfold. Every time one rolls in she bunkers down on the couch and doesn't move until it's over. 

The bad thing about this thunder storm is the fact that Ashlyn isn't home yet to comfort her. The keeper understands her dislike for the storms, not really liking them herself, so she does all she can to calm the brunette down and make her feel safe. Ali would give anything to have Ashlyn's arms wrapped tightly around her right now. 

Thunder shakes the ground and a gust of wind blows the rain hard against the windows, filling the house with harsh pitter patter sounds. Ali takes a deep breath when another gust of wind hits the house. The front door flies open and Ali looks at it with wide eyes.  _Is it really_ that  _windy outside?_ she thinks, worrying about the possibility of a hurricane forming. Before she can worry too much though, Ashlyn comes through the door with two wet brown paper bags full of groceries. She's soaked to the bone with rain, her short brown hair in disarray and dripping water all over the floor. She closes the door with some effort against the blowing wind, and then shakes out her body as she shivers from being cold. 

"Jesus Christ! It's fucking pouring outside." she mutters to herself, noticing Ali on the couch after she puts the groceries down. She frowns as she sees the worried look in her girlfriend's big brown eyes. "Oh, honey." she says softly. "I'm gonna dry off and then I'll come hold you, okay?" 

Ali nods a couple times, already feeling a little better at the promise of Ashlyn's arms around her soon. Ashlyn runs upstairs and shucks her wet clothes off, throwing them in the tub and then drying off with a towel as quickly as possible. She only pulls on a sports bra and a pair of boxers, knowing Ali feels better when she can feel the keeper's skin against hers. 

When Ashlyn finally makes it downstairs Ali is shivering non stop. She quickly sits on the couch next to Ali, pulls up a piece of the blanket over her girlfriend, and slips underneath it. "I've got you, sweetie." she whispers as she wraps her arms around the defender. Ali scoots onto her lap and holds her tight. 

"I'm so glad you're here." Ali mumbles into the skin of Ashlyn's neck. 

A small smile forms on Ashlyn's lips. She loves this woman so much. "There's no where else I'd rather be right now." she whispers, rubbing Ali's back in small soothing circles with her left hand and running her right hand up and down her strong thigh. She lifts the hem of Ali's shirt and let's Ali take it off. She then slips Ali's shorts off of her legs, leaving her in just her black bra and panties. "There you go, now you can feel all of me. Relax baby." 

Ali tightens her grip on the keeper when lighting strikes loudly somewhere to the east. "Distract me." she insists. 

"Okay." Ashlyn says, thinking quickly for something to do to get Ali's mind off of the storm. She knows of only one thing that gets Ali's mind off of anything. 

Ashlyn trails her right hand up toward Ali's hip, running her fingers lightly over her inner thigh. Ali shivers, but this time it's not from being scared. Ashlyn smiles and traces the top of Ali's panties with her thumb. 

"Is this working?" she asks in a soft voice, her lips at Ali's ear. 

Ali takes a shuddering breath in and releases it, a small smile forming on her lips. "I think so. Maybe move your fingers a little higher." she suggests slyly. She bites her lip in anticipation. 

Ashlyn's smile turns into a smirk. "Is this where you want them?" she asks, moving her fingers to rest above Ali's panties. 

Ali shakes her head. "Lower." She can already feel herself getting wet just thinking about her girlfriend's fingers where she wants them most. 

Ashlyn slowly trails her fingers down the middle of Ali's panties, making the defender bite her lip hard to suppress a moan. She stops when they rest over Ali's clit and looks up to meet the dark brown eyes of her girlfriend. She licks her lips and swallows hard. "Right here?" 

"Uh huh." Ali gulps. Her hips rock forward involuntarily when Ashlyn presses down lightly in the quickly dampening fabric. 

Ashlyn moves her free hand to Ali's long silky hair and brings their lips together in a heated kiss. Ali slowly moves so she's straddling Ashlyn's thighs. Their tongues battle for dominance, moans leaving their throats as they enjoy the taste of each other's mouths. Ali grinds down on Ashlyn's hand, which runs up and down the front of her panties, looking for friction.  Her breath catches in her throat when she feels Ashlyn start to pull the thin material to the side. She's about to sink down on the keeper's long fingers when a loud bolt of lightning strikes right by the house, causing her to gasp and move off of the short haired brunette. 

"Stupid fucking storm, I hate you." she mumbles, sitting back on her heels on the couch cushion beside Ashlyn. 

Ashlyn doesn't let the moment pass. She grabs Ali's waist and pulls her close, slowly moving her so she's laying on her back. 

"Just focus on me, baby. Let the outside world disappear." she whispers, kissing her lightly on the lips. 

Ashlyn then buries her head between Ali's legs and promptly takes the defender higher than she's even been. Ali doesn't even flinch as the storm continues to roll through their neighborhood. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear what you thought of this one :)


	16. Midnight Craving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashlyn wakes up Ali in the middle of the night, and Ali doesn't like it very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cereal is so underrated. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Ali grunts into her pillow when she feels Ashlyn shaking her. Her eyes peek open and she sees the clock, which reads 1:36am. She's debating whether she should slap Ashlyn or not for waking her up when Ashlyn notices her eyes are open. 

"Babe, come downstairs with me." Ashlyn whispers to the sleepy brunette. 

Ali frowns and sighs. "Why?" 

Ashlyn moves the hair out of her girlfriend's face. "Just come with me."

With a loud groan, Ali pushed the blankets off of her. "This better be good." she mumbles, holding out her hands so Ashlyn can pull her up. 

Ashlyn smiles and guides Ali downstairs and to the kitchen. Ali sits down at the island, watching in confusion as Ashlyn walks around, opening and closing cabinets. The short haired keeper finally sets a bowl, a spoon, and a box of Frosted Flakes on the island, then proceeds to go to the fridge to get out the milk. She makes a quick bowl of cereal and starts to eat it as Ali continues to stare at her. 

Ali watches as Ashlyn lifts spoonful after spoonful of iced corn flakes to her mouth, getting more confused by the minute. Finally, after Ashlyn is about halfway done with her bowl, she speaks up. 

"What the hell, Ashlyn?" 

The keeper looks at the defender with raised eyebrows. "Huh?" 

Ali sighs, getting annoyed with her usually adorable girlfriend. "What are you doing?" she asks, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. 

"Uh," Ashlyn says, confused as to why Ali looks so annoyed. "Eating cereal?" 

Ali simply stares at her and says nothing. 

"I'm sorry, did you want some? I didn't offer, I should've." 

Ali still just stares at her. 

"I think we have some Lucky Charms if you'd rather have those." Ashlyn suggests. 

"I don't want any cereal Ashlyn!" Ali says loudly, surprising the keeper. "I want to know why I'm sitting here while you eat Frosted Flakes at two in the fucking morning." 

Ashlyn looks down into her bowl and shrugs. "I was craving cereal and wanted to spend time with you, so I woke you up. Should I not have done that?"

Ali softens a little at Ashlyn's words. "You wanted to spend time with me while you ate cereal?" she asks softly. 

Ashlyn nods slowly. "Of course. I realize now I could've just waited to have my cereal with you after you woke up on your own. I'm sorry." She frowns, mad at herself for annoying Ali with her midnight craving. 

Ali sighs, moving from her chair and going to Ashlyn's side. She softly presses her lips to the side of Ashlyn's head and rubs her shoulders. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten annoyed with you. I think it's cute that you woke me up just so you could eat cereal with me near you." 

Ashlyn smiles. "Really?"

Ali smiles and nods. "Of course. Just don't do it again. This queen needs her beauty sleep." she chuckles. 

Ashlyn pulls Ali onto her lap, where the defender curls up and promptly falls asleep. The keeper smiles and kisses Ali's forehead. 

"Beauty sleep, my ass. You're gorgeous without it." she whispers to the sleeping woman. 

The short haired brunette finishes her cereal and then carries her beautiful girlfriend upstairs so she can continue with her unneeded beauty sleep in their bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit that little comment button, it'll make a girl with a cold (me) very happy.


	17. The Queen, The Princess, and The Horse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali's little cousin Allie has a cute request for Ashlyn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has any special remedies for sore throat I would greatly appreciate hearing them because my throat is on fire. I've been sick for a week now and I'm so over it. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy :)

"Awi!" Ali's little cousin Allie yelled happily when she saw the defender walk through the door. The four year old darted over to the woman, wrapping her little arms around her legs. 

Ali smiled widely, excited to see her adorable cousin. "Princess!" she exclaimed, picking the little girl up and hugging her tightly.

Little Allie pulled back and planted her hands on Ali's face, squishing her cheeks together. "I missed you so much but now you here so I sooo happy!" she smiled. She looked around the room, pouting when she didn't see her favorite keeper. "Where Ashy?" she asked Ali, her lower lip pushing out. 

Right at that moment Ashlyn appeared in the doorway, juggling her and Ali's luggage. "I'm right her, munchkin." she smiled, having heard the little girl's question. 

Little Allie's eyes lit up. She loved Ashlyn so much. Sometimes Ali thought the little girl loved Ashlyn more than she loved her, which was fine by the defender. Who didn't love Ashlyn?

"Ashy!" Little Allie said, reaching out for the short haired brunette. Ashlyn was quick to let go of the luggage and get ahold of the girl before she went flipping down to the hard floor. 

Ashlyn pressed a kiss to Little Allie's forehead. "Hi sweetie." 

"I so glad you here Ashy! Guess what?" she asked the keeper, smiling happily. 

"What?" Ashlyn asked animatedly, playing off of the little girl's excitement. 

Ali smiled as she watched the two interact. She couldn't help but picture Ashlyn with their own daughter in her arms. Ashlyn was so good with kids, and Ali knew she'd be an amazing mom and the best partner to have kids with. 

Little Allie spread her arms out excitedly. "I gots a new tea set and you and Awi can play with it with me. Awi be the queen, I be the princess, and you be the horse." 

Ali laughed loudly at the surprised and confused expression Ashlyn had after hearing what Little Allie wanted her to be. It was hilarious. 

"You want me to be a horse?" Ashlyn asked the four year old for confirmation. 

Little Allie nodded. "Uh huh." 

Ashlyn gave a playful glare to her girlfriend who was dying with laughter, then turned back to the little girl. "Um, I can't be a queen with Ali?" 

Little Allie shook her head. "Nope. You be horse like Maximus from Tangled." 

With a sigh, Ashlyn gave in. If the adorable girl wanted her to be a horse, then she would be a horse. She couldn't say no to her. "Okay, munchkin. I'll be your horse."

Ali chuckled. "At least she knows who's the boss in this relationship. I'm the queen." she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. 

Ashlyn smiled and leaned in to kiss the defender in the lips. "She's not wrong." She then proceeded to lift Little Allie until she was perched on her back, her little arms wrapped around her neck to hold on. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a tea party to get to." 

Ali's heart swelled as she watched Ashlyn gallop off toward Little Allie's room, making neighing sounds while the little girl giggled her head off. The defender was reminded then just how lucky she was to have a girlfriend as sweet as Ashlyn. She was never going to let her go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* Hit the comment button please and thank you :)


	18. Outback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really tired so I'm not sure if I like this one that much but I decided to post it anyway. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Ashlyn woke up on the couch with a sore neck and a sore heart. She missed the feeling that she always had of waking up with Ali in her arms. She wanted to be able to bury her face in Ali's silky brown hair and inhale the scent of her vanilla shampoo. She wanted to feel her soft, warm skin pressed to hers. She just wanted to be near her girlfriend. 

But sadly, her girlfriend wasn't talking to her, and it was no one's fault but her own. 

Coming out to the public was usually a conversation that the two of them never brought up unless they had to. It always ended up with someone with hurt feelings (usually Ashlyn) and someone being mad (sometimes Ashlyn, but usually Ali.) If they wanted to be civil, they simply didn't bring it up. 

But sometimes things happened, and it was brought up. Hence, why Ashlyn slept on the couch last night. 

Their night had started out great, with the both of them excited to go out to a nice bar nearby and just relax and have a lowkey night. They were talking about their favorite memories from the amazing SuperBowl weekend they had a few weeks ago when Ashlyn heard the familiar chords of their song. A smile lit up her face and she set her glass of whiskey on the counter. 

Ashlyn loved to slow dance with Ali. No matter how awfully adorable the keeper's moves were in the club, she knew slow dancing was her true dancing talent. Anyone who ever slow danced with her loved it. 

When she asked Ali to dance she was saddened when the defender told her no. She was persistent though, and asked a few more times, even using her dimple to try and soften Ali up a little. But Ali repeatedly said no, and Ashlyn couldn't help but notice how Ali looked around the bar, her eyes lingering on the people around them. The keeper's temper flared up and she bit her tongue so she wouldn't say anything about it. 

She grabbed her coat from the back of her chair and put it on roughly. "I'll be in the car." she muttered, then quickly left the bar while Ali stared at her back. 

Ashlyn hadn't even been in the car for a minute before Ali was sitting in the passenger seat. 

"What the hell was that?" the defender asked as Ashlyn gunned the engine and started the short drive to their house. 

The keeper blew out a deep breath. "It doesn't matter." 

Ali scoffed. "It clearly does matter so tell me already." 

Ashlyn bit the inside of her cheek as her anger bubbled in her chest. She knew Ali knew what was wrong, and she didn't like that the defender was acting like this. 

Ali shook her head at Ashlyn's silence. "You're being childish." she said. 

"Oh, I'm being childish, am I?" Ashlyn said, her voice loud in the small space of the car. 

Ali looked at her incredulously. "Yeah Ashlyn, you are. I didn't want to dance with you, so what. I wasn't in the mood to." 

"Now that's a lie." Ashlyn responded, calling her out on her bullshit. 

"Why do you say that?" Ali challenged, crossing her arms. 

Ashlyn finally said what she had been biting back. "Because I know if I was a man you'd have no problem dancing with me! I'm not stupid Ali! I know you didn't dance with me because people would see us." 

Ali balked at the keeper for a moment. This wasn't the first time Ashlyn had used the "if I was a man" line. The defender took a deep breath, clenched her jaw, and looked straight ahead. 

"Don't talk to me." she mumbled. 

When they arrived home shortly after that, Ali quickly went upstairs and locked herself in their bedroom. Ashlyn fell asleep on the couch with the blanket from the recliner and a throw pillow under her head. 

Now that it was morning and she had a clear head, Ashlyn realized she hadn't needed to sleep on the couch at all. They had three spare bedrooms that she could've used. She was so angry last night she hadn't thought about it. She sighed loudly and sat up, running her neck to get the kinks out of it. She wished someone would give her a massage because she truly needed one. She jumped when she heard Ali's voice to her left. 

"It's about time you woke up. Your phone has been blowing up all morning." the defender said from her spot on the recliner. 

The keeper raised an eyebrow. What was Ali talking about? She reached down to the floor to grab her phone and saw she had thousands of notifications from Instagram and Twitter. Most of them were from fan accounts, but a good bit were from teammates and family members. She noticed one from Sydney Leroux that said: 'It's about damn time you guys. Love you!'

She looked at Ali questioningly. "What-"

"Check my Instagram." Ali said, moving to sit next to the short haired women. 

Ashlyn did as told and teared up when she saw the video Ali had posted an hour ago. It was of the two of them as they slow danced in their kitchen to their song. Alex Morgan had secretly filmed it a few weeks ago when they were hanging out and sent the video to then the next day. The couple was in their own world as they stared lovingly into each other's eyes. 

Under the video was the following caption: 'My favorite dance parent and life partner. I don't know what I would do without her. #FromRightbackToOutback #KrashlynIsReal

The keeper wiped her tears and looked at Ali, unable to form words to express how she was feeling. Ali grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. 

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come out Ash. I know it hurt you. You need to know that I was never, and am not, ashamed of you. You're the love of my life." 

Ashlyn smiled and kissed Ali soundly on the lips. "You don't need to apologize, Alex. If anything, I should've been more understanding. Please tell me you didn't post that because of last night." 

"I didn't, Ash. I promise I didn't. I posted it to show you how much I love you. I'm tired of hiding." Ali said, resting her head on the keeper's shoulder. 

Ashlyn wrapped Ali up in a tight hug. After not getting to hold her last night she was happy to do it now. 

"I love you, Alex." she whispered. 

Ali smiled. "I love you too, Ash. So much." 

Ashlyn watched the video on Ali's post several times before she spoke again. "Nice pun game, babe. Outback." She chuckled and shook her head slowly. 

Ali giggled and shrugged. "I thought it was good." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of it :)


	19. It Won't Be Like This For Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One shot based off of the song It Won't Be Like This For Long by Darius Rucker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya girl right here has the flu and a doctor's excuse from the hospital for a whole week, so she has a lot of time to write. 
> 
> This is honestly my favorite thing I've ever written so I hope you guys like it. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Ashlyn didn't really believe in love at first sight before she met Ali. Before then she hadn't even been in love with any of her girlfriends. After meeting the defender she knew it was real, though. There was no other way to describe what happened to her when she caught a glimpse of Ali's sleek brown hair and nose crinkling smile. The keeper was hooked from the very beginning. 

The night of June 7th, 2021, Ashlyn experiences love at first sight for the second time. It comes in the form of a 7 pound, 5 ounce baby girl named Edythe Rylie Krieger-Harris, who has chocolate brown eyes and a face like an angle. The second she's placed in Ashlyn's strong arms, the keeper feels a calming, all encompassing love fall over her. It's so strong that it immediately brings tears to her eyes. She didn't think she could love someone as much as she loves Ali, but as she stares into her daughter's eyes she feels her heart swell like it did back in 2010. 

The first week is the hardest. Ashlyn knew babies cried a lot, but she didn't realize how much until Edythe was home. Every two hours she needed to be fed and changed, and the first night Ashlyn was fine. But by night two, she was ready to start crying with her baby girl. Ali was no better off. She was still sore from labor and just as, if not more sleep deprived than Ashlyn. 

One early morning after a late night, Ali finds Ashlyn in the kitchen brewing a pot of coffee and splashing handful after handful of water on her face. The look of exhaustion on her face reminds Ali of when they go to the gym and the keeper trains until she can barely stand. The defender holds a tightly swaddled Edythe a little closer and walks up to the keeper, running a hand up and down her bare back softly. 

"Don't worry baby. It'll get better." she whispers. 

Ashlyn turns around and pulls Ali as close as she can without hurting the baby. Ali leans up and presses a kiss to her lips. 

"It's gonna be okay." Ali says. "It won't be like this for long. One day we'll look back laughing at the week we brought her home. This phase is gonna fly by, so baby just hold on. It won't be like this for long. I promise." 

Ashlyn nods slowly. "Okay." she smiles, then leans in for a kiss. "I love you both so much." 

The phase did fly by fast, and before Ashlyn knows it, four year old Edythe is crawling in their bed at 4:30 in the morning after having a nightmare. The little girl burrows into the now ex-keeper's arms for protection, and Ashlyn smiled contentedly. Ali wraps her arms around both of them and they all fall into a dreamless sleep not long after. 

Edythe's first day of preschool is rough. The little girl stands between her parents, her arms wrapped tightly around Ashlyn's leg and her face pressed into the side of her thigh. 

"I stay with you Mama." she mumbles, voice quivering with unshed tears. 

Her wonderful teacher has to peel the little brunette off of her mother, and it doesn't end well. Edythe starts bawling her eyes out and yelling for Ashlyn to save her, and the ex-keeper nearly has a nervous breakdown right there in front of the school. 

She runs a hand through her short hair. "What can I do?" she asks desperately. 

The teacher smiles. "Now, don't you worry. This'll only last a week or two." 

Ashlyn felt like a punch to the chest would've hurt less than hearing that. 

The teacher continues. "It won't be like this for long. One day you'll drop her off and she won't even know you're gone. This phase is gonna fly by, if you can just hold on. It won't be like this for long."

After watching Edythe walk into the building, Ali and Ashlyn drive home, both with tears rolling down their cheeks. Ali has work, but Ashlyn's off today, so she goes to her office after Ali leaves and thinks. She thinks about how all of Edythe's phases go by too fast, and how soon she'll be a teenager that at times will hate her. She thinks about walking her down the aisle, and whether she'll be giving her away to a man or a woman. She thinks about how she'll raise her daughter's vail and start crying at how beautiful she'll look, thinking back to the first time she held her in her arms. For the rest of the day, she thinks. 

Later that night Edythe starts crying before bedtime as she tells her mama how much she missed her while at preschool. As much as she hates to see her little girl cry, the tears make Ashlyn optimistic that Edythe won't ever want to be away from her for school or hate her when she's a teenager. The ex-keeper curls up with her daughter tucked snuggly in her arms and holds the little girl as she falls asleep. 

She watches her as she sleeps peacefully, her heart breaking slowly as she thinks about how fast she's going to grow up. Soon her little girl is gonna be all grown up and gone, so she's going to spend every second she has with her like it's the last one she'll ever get. 

And because she knows it won't be like this for long, she's going to make memories that will last her a lifetime. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated :)


	20. Oliver's First Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver has an interesting choice for his first word, and Kyle is to blame for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this out last night, but right as I was about to finish it my brother dropped by and I got distracted talking with him. I hardly ever see him so I didn't want to be rude and be writing while he was with me. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy :)

The day Oliver turned 9 months old, you would've thought Ali and Ashlyn had mommy issues with the amount of times they said the phrase "Say 'mommy.'" Every chance the soccer players got, they were trying to coax the little boy into saying his first word. When they were feeding him, bathing him, changing him. You name it and they were trying to get him to speak while doing it. 

After a month of no success getting him to say 'mommy' Ali was starting to get frustrated. She wanted her son to talk already so she could hear him call her mommy and be even cuter than he is. His aimless babbles were cute and all, but she needed him to start saying real words. 

Kyle came for a visit one weekend and he decided to take matters into his own hands. 

"You two relax. I've got this. By the time I leave he'll be saying mommy every chance he gets." he says, taking the excited 10 month old out of Ashlyn's arms. 

For the 3 days Kyle was there, he kept Oliver with him so he could talk to him all the time. Oliver absolutely loved being with his uncle, and he especially loved to play with his beard and mess up his perfectly styled hair. Kyle, usually one to screech at whoever disheveled his hair, was fine with entertaining the little boy like that. 

The last morning of Kyle's visit they all decide to go to the beach. Oliver has a blast and ends up eating two fistfuls if sand despite Ashlyn and Ali's efforts to stop him. For lunch they go home and Ali makes them sandwiches and salad to eat. Oliver is munching on some Cheerios when he says his first word. 

"Dada!" he yells out, his little Cheerio covered hands reaching up to the ceiling. 

Ali and Ashlyn frown at each other, wondering how in the world be said 'dada' for his first word instead of 'mommy' like they were telling him to say. They were happy he said something, but were confused at what he said. It takes Ali one look at the smirk on Kyle's face to know why her son, who has two mothers, said 'dada' for his first word. 

"Kyle, do you have anything you'd like to tell me?" she asks, crossing her arms and cocking an eyebrow at her brother. 

Kyle tries to look innocent, and he shrugs. "No, I'm good." 

Ali narrows her eyes. "You sure?" 

The siblings end up in a stare off, and Ashlyn takes this time to praise Oliver for saying his first word. 

"Good job, buddy." she smiles, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "You have two mommies, so you don't need to say 'dada', but good job. We'll work on it." She smiles when the little boy giggles at her. "Silly boy."

Ali is the one to break the stare off. "Did you teach my son to say the word 'dada?'"

Kyle bites his lips to stop himself from busting up laughing. "Now why would I do that?" 

Ashlyn speaks up. "Because you're you, and you would totally do something like that. Don't act coy."

Kyle's starts to chuckle. "You gotta admit, it's really funny. Not many lesbian couples can say their baby's first word was 'dada.'" 

Ali doesn't find it very funny, though. "I can't believe you did this Kyle. Seriously, what the hell? You know how much we wanted his first word to be 'mommy.' You're so-"

"Mama!" Oliver yells, cutting Ali off. 

Ali looks at the little boy in shock. He's showing off his few teeth in a big smile, proud of himself for talking again. 

"And, you're welcome." Kyle sasses to his sister. 

Ali doesn't pay attention to the YouTube star. Instead, she picks Oliver up and gives him kisses all over his face. 

"Oh I'm so happy." she breathed out. "You called me 'mommy!'" she enthuses to the boy, making him giggle. 

"Technically, he said 'mama,' which is what we agreed he'd call me, so he called me mama first." Ashlyn points out. 

Ali glares at her. 

"Geez," Kyle mutters. "First you're mad he said 'dada,' now you're fighting over who he called 'mama' first." He shakes his head. "It'd be better if he never talks around you two." 

"Please," Ali says. "He know who he loves the most in this family. Isn't that right Olly? You love me most, right?"

To everyone but Ali's amusement, the little boy starts to whimper and reach toward Ashlyn, wanting to be in her arms. Ashlyn smirks as she takes him from Ali, who is slackjawed. 

"You little twerp." Ali laughs, pinching the little boy's arm gently. "I spent 9 months with you camped out on my bladder and I pushed you out of my vagina, and this is how you repay me?" 

Oliver smiles at his mommy and lays his head on Ashlyn's chest. This whole situation amuses him. 

Ashlyn pulls Ali close, kissing her forehead. "Don't worry, baby. We both know if the next one's a girl she'll be you're little princess. She'll be a mini you." 

Ali smiles and kisses Ashlyn's cheek. "True. But you're pushing the next one out." She pats her wife on the arm and walks away. 

She doesn't get to see the look of absolute terror on Ashlyn's face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated :)


	21. Doctor's Orders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the lose last night I was so annoyed. First at Jill because her coaching and decisions suck, then at people who were blaming Ash for that goal. Like, seriously I wanted to throw hands. There's no way she could've stopped it, even my cousin who was a gk said that. 
> 
> Also, I have half of the next chapter of Secret Love done so when I get it finished I'll post it. I'll probably do it tomorrow. And I know some people requested one shots awhile ago that I haven't gotten done yet, so I promise those are coming soon.
> 
> Enjoy :)

If there's one thing Ashlyn loves more than anything, it's waking up with Ali in her arms. She loves to feel the weight and heat of her body against hers. But she has to admit, one thing that she loves just the slightest bit more than that is watching Ali walk around in one of her shirts with no pants on. There's something about seeing her beautiful wife in her clothes that gets her going. And see those powerful, muscular thighs with nothing on them really gets her going. 

So when Ashlyn wakes up one morning to see Ali in just one of her white shirts and black panties, the keeper can't help but lay back and admire the view. Ali is in the zone folding laundry so she doesn't notice Ashlyn's awake yet. When the defender is finished, she takes the basket full of clothes over to a dresser and starts putting them away. Ashlyn licks her lips when Ali bends over to put clothes in the bottom drawer, and she whistles softly in admiration. 

Ali turns around at the sound and smiles at the short haired woman sprawled out comfortably in bed. "Morning babe. Did you sleep good?" she asks as she walks over to Ashlyn. 

Ashlyn nods. "Yep. And I woke up good, too." She lets her eyes rake over Ali's frame, and she'd be damned if she didn't feel a heat stir in her lower abdomen. 

"You're such a horndog sometimes." Ali chuckles, leaning down to press a kiss to the keeper's lips. 

Ashlyn moans happily when Ali pulls back. "It's one of my specialties." she smiles. She grabs Ali's hand and pulls her toward her. "Come here." 

Ali gingerly climbs on top of Ashlyn and straddles her waist. Ashlyn rubs her hands up and down the defender's warm thighs with a smile. 

"I love you." she whispers softly, leaning in for a feather soft kiss that leaves Ali yearning for more. "So much." 

"I love you, too." Ali says before connecting their lips in a searing kiss. 

Ashlyn moans loudly at the feeling of her wife's lips on hers. She's been kissing these lips for over ten years now, and she still get a butterflies every time they kiss. She loves this woman with every fiber of her being. 

Their tongues fuel for dominance, little moans leaving both of their mouths every now and then. Ashlyn's hands move from Ali's thighs to her lower back, where she rubs little circles into the skin there. Ali sighs in contentment. She loves the feeling of Ashlyn's big hands touching her skin so reverently. She knows that no matter how long she's with the keeper, she won't tire of feeling her fingers digging into her skin. 

Ashlyn moves her lips to Ali's neck and the defender gasps. She holds onto the keeper's tattooed shoulder tightly to keep her balance, feeling lightheaded from all of the hormones flowing through her body. Ashlyn kisses and nips at Ali's pulse point, knowing that drives her wild. She smirks at how ragged her wife's breathing is as she moves her hands lower to grab her ass. Ali lets out a deep breath and pulls back. 

"Stop." she moans. She looks into Ashlyn's dark hazel eyes. "You know we can't." 

Ashlyn sighs, moving her hands back up to Ali's back. "This isn't fair."

Ali runs her hands through Ashlyn's disheveled hair. "I don't make the rules, babe. No sex for six weeks after having a baby. Doctor's orders." 

"It should be different for gay couples. I mean, it's not like I can accidentally get you pregnant and mess up anything in there." Ashlyn says. 

Ali chuckles. "Whatever you say, Ash. On the bright side, there's only two weeks left of our six week window." 

Ashlyn smirks. "You better be ready to go all night in two weeks then, babe." 

With a shake of her head, Ali smiles and moves off of Ashlyn's lap. "Come on, horndog. It's time to wake up our little man for his breakfast." she says, reaching out a hand for Ashlyn to take. 

Ashlyn lets Ali pull her up and keeps their hands entwined after she's standing. 

"You know, if Oliver wasn't so cute, I'd be so mad at him for making me wait to make love to you." she says as they start toward the nursery. 

"Well, thank God he has my genes then." Ali giggles, flipping her hair sassily. 

As they open the nursery door, Ashlyn sends a silent prayer out, hoping Oliver hasn't also inherited her wife's sassiness. Lord have mercy on her if he did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated :)


	22. Only Have Eyes For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seeing Ashlyn's encounter with a fan Ali feels insecure and thinks Ashlyn doesn't find her pretty. Ashlyn simply won't let her entertain that thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last night was tragic. I hate Jill Ellis even more than I did before. The 3 back idea needs to go die. 
> 
> I had planned on writing a chapter for Secret Love but... that didn't happen. I did finish this one though. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

"Okay babe, we need to hurry up and get everything so we have enough time to fix dinner before everyone comes over." Ali says as she walks with Ashlyn into Publix. 

"Alright. Let's split the list then." Ashlyn says. She grabs two baskets and hands one to Ali. 

Ali nods and rips their list in half, giving Ashlyn her part. "Don't buy a bunch of junk food because you're hungry, and please don't get any more mac and cheese. We have like twenty boxes at the house." She giggles when Ashlyn groans playfully. 

"There's no such thing as too much mac and cheese, Alex." 

Ali smiles and leans up to kiss her girlfriend's cheek quickly. "Whatever you say honey. Now, hurry up. We don't want to make our guests wait for their food tonight."

"Okay, text me when you're done." Ashlyn says. 

They split up then, Ashlyn looking for side dish ingredients and Ali looking for main dish ingredients. The women were having some National Team teammates over that they hadn't been able to see in awhile, so they needed a lot of food. They were about to have a house full of athletes, and they didn't want to run out of food. 

Ashlyn is looking for the last thing on her list when she feels someone tap her shoulder. She turns around to see an attractive blonde woman with bright blue eyes smiling at her. 

"You're Ashlyn Harris, right?" the woman asks, biting her lower lip. 

Ashlyn smiled politely. "Yeah. It's nice to meet you." she says, sticking her hand out for the woman to shake. 

The woman grabs her hand, holding it tightly. "Wow, I'm such a big fan. My little sister is going to be so jealous of me."

"Well, I hope one day I get to meet her. I love meeting fans." Ashlyn says, moving her hand out of the woman's grasp. 

"I'm Abigail by the way. Do you mind if I get a picture?" She's already taking out her phone so Ashlyn can't really say no. 

"Sure." Ashlyn smiles easily. 

She brings up her camera, and Ashlyn figured they'd just smile and be done in two seconds, but she was wrong. Abigail puckers her lips and leans in close to Ashlyn cheek for their photo. Ashlyn takes it in stride, making a scandalous face with her hand over her mouth. After the photo is finished Ashlyn laughs. 

"Wasn't expecting that." she chuckles. 

"Sorry. I had to." Abigail giggles. 

"No, its okay. I don't mind." Ashlyn smiles, rubbing the back of her neck. 

Abigail blushes. "Um, well I better get going. It was wonderful meeting you."

"Yeah. Make sure to come to a Pride game this year. It's gonna be a great season." Ashlyn says as she watches Abigail walk away. She hopes the girl doesn't post that picture online so Ali won't see it. She knows from experience that the defender can get pretty jealous when she sees pictures of Ashlyn with fans like that. It would be best if Ali didn't see the girl's lips so close to the keeper's cheek. 

Ashlyn phone buzzes and she checks it. Ali has sent her a text. 

'I'm all checked out. I'll be in the car when you're finished.' 

'Almost done. Going to get checked out now.' 

The keeper is checked out five minutes later, and she makes her way to the car to find Ali sitting in the passenger seat with her arms crossed. She can immediately tell something about the defender is off. 

"You okay, babe?" she asks as she turns the car on and starts driving home. 

"Yeah." Ali says quickly, not looking at her. 

Ashlyn purses her lips, wondering why Ali's lying to her. 

"You sure?" she tries again, moving her hand to rest it on Ali's thigh. 

"Yes, just..." Ali sighs, pushing Ashlyn's hand off of her leg. "Just get us home. We need to start cooking soon." 

Ashlyn frowns, looking at Ali carefully. "What's got you so pissy?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. 

Ali scoffed quietly. "Like you don't know." 

Ashlyn shakes her head, trying to figure out where this conversation is going. "I actually don't."

Ali squints her eyes at the keeper. "That was a nice little picture you took with that woman." 

_Ah, shit,_ Ashlyn thinks.  _She saw._

"She caught me off guard, Alex." 

"Didn't seem like it." 

"Don't be like this." Ashlyn groans exasperatedly. "It was just a fucking picture. It meant nothing. Let it go." 

Ali glares at her girlfriend. "Don't tell me to let it go like fucking Elsa from Frozen. I'm allowed to be mad at fans who go too far with pictures with you." 

"It wasn't-" Ashlyn breaks off with a groan. "Alex, I didn't know she was gonna make it look like she was kissing me. I'm sorry I'm not a fucking mind reader."

Ali rolls her eyes so hard Ashlyn feels it, but doesn't say anything. It's not until they're pulling into the garage that she finally speaks. 

"That girl was pretty. I'm sure you liked that picture a lot." she mumbles quietly, voice cracking a little, before exiting the car and going into the house. 

Ashlyn sighs softly, leaning her head back on her seat's head rest. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Ali's feelings, and she knows that's what she did. Ali puts on a confident front for the public. But Ashlyn knows just how hard the defender is on herself. On countless occasions the keeper has needed to preach to Ali just how beautiful she really is. Ashlyn knows that what she has to do is make sure Ali never thinks any woman- especially a fan- is more beautiful than her.

Ashlyn grabs the groceries from the trunk and then goes inside, finding Ali peeling potatoes in the kitchen. She puts the bags down and walks over to the brunette tentatively. Slowly, she reaches for the knife in Ali's hand, prying it from her fingers. The defender's eyes stay on the half peeled potato in her hand as the keeper wraps her arms around her waist tightly from behind. 

"Alex, I'm sorry." Ashlyn whispers into Ali's ear. "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. That fan, she had nothing on you, baby. You know I only have eyes for you, right?" When she feels Ali nod slightly she smiles. "Well, you and mac and cheese, but let's just focus on how I have eyes for you right now." she smiles. 

"I'm the mac to your cheese." Ali mumbles, and Ashlyn squeezes her waist. 

"That's right. But you taste way better than mac and cheese." 

Ali fights a smile. She still feels a little sad, but Ashlyn never fails to make her feel better. 

Ashlyn presses a kiss behind Ali's ear. "That's just one reason why I love you. Wanna know more?" Ali nods. "I love you because you are sweet, and kind, and a warrior. I love you because you make me feel okay. You make me feel loved. You make me feel like the happiest woman on earth. You make me a better person, and I love you for that." She turns Ali in her arms so she can look into her eyes. "You are so gorgeous. Honestly Alex, you take my breath away. There is no one else I'd rather look at everyday for the rest of my life. Everyday I find new things to love about you and your body. You're beautiful. I'll never tire of telling you that, baby. You're beautiful, and I only have eyes for you. Always remember that."

Ali's eyes were watering at Ashlyn sweet words. Only the keeper could tell her all of those things and make her believe them all. She throws her arms around Ashlyn's neck and hugs her tight. 

"I love you." Ali croaks out emotionally. 

Ashlyn pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "I love you so much beautiful." 

All of a sudden, there's a chorus of "Aww's" coming from behind them, and they turn to see Crystal, Allie, Tobin, Christen, Sydney, Alex, Kelley, and HAO standing in their kitchen, all with heart eyes. 

"Pookie, you're gonna make a bitch cry." Allie says, fanning her face. "So sweet." 

"What are you doing here already? Wait, nevermind. How much of that did you hear?" Ashlyn says, looking at all of her friends individually. They all look like they're about to cry. 

"We came to help make dinner." HAO says. "Oh, and we heard all of it. You guys are such relationship goals."

"All hail Krashlyn!" Kelley says, pretending to bow down before the couple.

Everyone chuckles and both Ali and Ashlyn blush. Ali pulls Ashlyn in for a kiss, getting some catcalls from their teammates.

"Never leave me." she whispers to the keeper, staring into loving hazel eyes.

Ashlyn smiles. "Baby, I'm yours forever." she promises.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated :)


	23. Author's Note

Hey guys, I'm gonna be MIA for awhile. My mom passed away unexpectedly on Sunday so everything is really stressful with moving into my aunt's house and figuring out the funeral and everything. I just don't have the motivation to do much or write, let alone think straight right now. I hope you understand. 

~Amber


	24. Author's Note Follow-up

I just wanted to thank everyone who commented for their kind words. You guys really are the best and you made me feel loved and cared for. I promise when everything gets settled and I'm well minded and okay, I'll be back better than ever. I'll get through this. Again, thank you.

~Amber


	25. I'm Back Bitches

Hey guys, long time no see. No, this isn't a chapter, but I just wanted to tell you guys I feel like getting back into the swing of writing again. I feel like I'm in a good headspace and when I told my therapist I write stuff she suggested starting again. So, that said, y'all need to be sending me some prompt requests asap. (Pretty please?) If you asked me to do one before and I didn't do it please refresh my memory of them because I honestly can't think of any I've been given. Just hit that little comment button with anything you want me to write (really, anything) and I'll get to it. Much love to you guys.

~Amber


	26. Olly's First Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like this. I should've worked on a scholarship instead of this but oh well. This is more fun. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

_This is not happening_ , Ali thought as she drove her and Ashlyn from the Pride training facility to Oliver's elementary school. _My precious little boy did not hit another kid._

She couldn't fathom it. Her and Ashlyn made sure Oliver knew it wasn't nice to hit others, so it didn't make sense when Oliver's principal called and told the defender he had hit a boy at recess. Beside her, Ashlyn was having similar thoughts. The keeper was wondering what the situation could've been that warranted a punch to the face. She knew her little man wouldn't hit someone just for the fun of it.

Ali and Ashlyn held hands as they walked to the school's front office.

"Everything will work out, babe." Ashlyn assured her wife, squeezing her hand. "I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding."

Ali nodded quietly. She was hoping for that to be true, but she was still worried.

The secretary in the office recognized them immediately and ushered them to the principal's office. The principal, Miss Domer, was sitting at her desk with Oliver and another boy who looked like he was a year or two older than Oliver in the two chairs in front of her desk. Ashlyn couldn't help but stare at the black eye the older boy had.

Miss Domer stood up and shook both of their hands, motioning for the boys to stand up.

"Thank you for coming ladies. Sadly, these aren't very good circumstances to be meeting."

Ali watched as Ashlyn went over to Oliver and rubbed his back. The little boy looked a little scared to be in the principal's office.

"What happened?" Ali asked, turning back to Miss Domer.

"Please sit." The young woman said, motioning to the now vacant seats. Ali and Ashlyn sat down and Oliver climbed onto Ashlyn's lap, burying his face in his Mama's neck. At the age of 6 he was still a major cuddler and loved being in his Mama's arms.

"So," Miss Domer started. "There was an altercation on the playground today between Oliver and Tanner. Words were exchanged and sadly a punch was too. You two know we don't like violence of any kind here."

"We do." Ali cut in. "I don't know what could've possible made Oliver want to hit someone. He's always been a mellow kid."

Miss Domer nodded. "Yes, I know. He's always been an excellent student. From what he told me he punched Tanner because Tanner said some mean things to him."

"What did he say?" Ashlyn asked, eyeing the kid with the swollen eye. She had to admit, it was a heck of a bruise.

"Oliver." Miss Domer said gently to get the hiding boy to look at her. He peeked out from Ashlyn's neck timidly. "Can you tell your moms what Tanner said that made you mad?"

Oliver started to trace the tattoos on Ashlyn's arm nervously. He met Ashlyn's eyes as he spoke. "He said you and Mommy are sick in the brain and that our family is stupid and gross."

Both Ashlyn and Ali felt anger well up in them. They couldn't believe a boy as young as Tanner would say that to another person. He obviously didn't have a family that was teaching him that people should be accepted for who they are and that nothing is wrong with being gay. Both Ashlyn and Ali's hearts hurt for this boy who had such a closed mind already.

Miss Domer spoke up again. "What did you do after he told you that, Oliver?"

"I hit him in the face because he was mean and made me mad. And he lied. My family is perfect and I love my mommies so much and they're not sick. They're soccer players, so they're healthy." the little boy said, his innocence shining through at the end.

Ashlyn smiled and tilted her head down to press a kiss to Oliver's head. She loved her little man so much it hurt sometimes.

Miss Domer then proceeded to tell Ashlyn and Ali that both Oliver and Tanner were suspended for one day each for the incident. She also made the boys apologize to each other, and for extra measure had Tanner apologize to Ashlyn and Ali for what he said. The boy genuinely looked like he had learned his lesson for saying those things.

After Oliver was situated in his car seat, both women looked at each other as if to say "What now?" Ashlyn casted a glance at Oliver in the rear view mirror and noticed the frown on his face.

"What's wrong, little man?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Mama." he said, his voice quivering as big tears started falling down his face.

Ashlyn turned to look at him fully, Ali doing the same. "Sorry for what, Olly?"

The little boy took a few deeps breaths to help get himself under control. "I hit that boy and I shouldn't have."

Ali reached back to grab Olivers hand in hers. "Baby, it's okay. We understand why you did it, okay? Don't cry sweetie."

"It's okay, little man. Me and Mommy aren't mad at you for this." Ashlyn stole a glance at her wife. "We just want you to remember to go get an adult if something like this happens again. People can be mean sometimes, but we don't need to be like them. We need to be cool. And there's no one cooler than you, little man." the keeper smiled.

Oliver smiled through his tears, the gap where his first baby tooth had fallen out a week earlier prominent. "You're the coolest, Mama!"

Ali pretended to be wounded. "And I'm not?" she asked the little boy.

"You're cool too, Mommy! I love you. You too, Mama." Oliver said, his tears finally dry and a permanent smile on his face.

Ashlyn and Ali both took turns to lean back and press a big kiss to Oliver's cheek, making the little boy giggle.

Ashlyn turned the car on just as Oliver quietly asked "Mama?" from the backseat.

She turned back to him and regretted it as soon as she did. He had his Krieger puppy eyes on full force. "Can we get ice cream?"

Ashlyn sighed softly and looked at Ali, who was smirking.

"Your doing." the keeper mouthed to the defender with a smile. Ali leaned over and kissed her cheek softly.

"I could go for a banana split." she whispered in Ashlyn's ear.

Ashlyn grabbed her phone and put the nearest Dairy Queen into her phone's GPS.

"Of course, little man. We can get ice cream." she smiled as she pulled out of the school's parking lot.

The three of them ended up sharing a banana split, which resulted in Ashlyn complaining that Ali ate way more than her fair share.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to comment and tell me what you thought of it :)


	27. Break The Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this isn't that good. I'm pretty tired but I felt like writing since I'm gonna be busy this weekend. Also I'm in a mood tonight so that affected my writing a good bit. This will be my first holiday without my mom and then on Tuesday it'll be my first birthday without her. I know I'll get through it even though it's gonna hurt like hell.
> 
> On a happier note, I hope you guys have a good Easter weekend. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Sixteen year old Ali Krieger does not break the rules. As a matter of fact, the last time she did that was when she was seven. Her parents had told her not to play soccer in the house, but she did anyway and ended up getting grounded for breaking a window. Ever since then she's been a perfect child. She's home by curfew, does her chores, and doesn't get into trouble. She's the ideal child every parent wants.

She starts to change after the night her parents sit her down with her brother and say they're divorcing. Her grades start to slip a little, falling from A's to B's and even C's sometimes. She lies to her dad to get out of seeing him on the weekends, saying she has a super important project for class that she has to work on super hard or she'll super fail. She sneaks out at night a lot and doesn't come home until the sun is about to rise the next day. She shuts people out like it's her job.

On one particular night in October, Ali sneaks out after her mom falls asleep and walks to school. She walks the familiar path to the soccer pitch and feels a calmness wash over her as she steps in between its white lines. Her eyes slip closed slowly and she fills her lungs with as much air as they can hold. As she inhales, the unmistakable scent of pot smoke fills her nose and she frowns, looking around to see where it's coming from.

The moon shines brightly on the field, casting its light all around her. Because of its glow it's not hard to find the silhouette sitting in the goal not 15 feet from the defender. Puffs of smoke fly into the air and dissipate as Ali stares, wondering who it is. Her curiosity gets the best of her. Before she knows what she's doing her legs are moving and soon she's two feet away from the silhouette.

Ali can make out the familiar short brown hair, sculpted cheekbones, and beautiful hazel eyes of Ashlyn Harris now that she's so close. As a sophomore, Ali only sees the senior sitting in front of her in two places: the cafeteria and the soccer pitch. And by 'sees' she's really means she stares at her from afar in the cafeteria and loves defending for her on the soccer pitch. The defender finds the goalkeeper unbelievably attractive and sexy. The only problem is she can barely talk around the keeper because she gets her so flustered.

Ali's breath hitches in her throat when Ashlyn's head tilts up to look at her. Hazel eyes meet dark chocolate ones and Ali turns into a puddle on the pitch.

"Hi." Ashlyn smiles, the dimple Ali fantasizes about kissing creating a crater in the keeper's cheek.

Ali has to swallow hard to stop her mouth from watering. "Hi." she whispers.

Ashlyn pats the grass next to her. "Seat's open."

Ali slowly sits down next to the keeper, greatly aware that there are only a few inches between their bodies. She smells a mix of pot smoke and Old Spice deodorant coming from the short haired brunette and feels intoxicated by her presence. Silence falls over them as Ashlyn takes a drag from the blunt. She holds it out to Ali, who looks unsurely at it.

"Come on," Ashlyn smiles at the defender. "Just one hit. You'll like it."

_I can't say no to you,_ Ali thinks to herself. _Damn you for being so hot._

Their fingers graze as she takes the blunt from the keeper, and a shot of electricity goes through Ali's body. She has to avert her eyes from the muscular girl beside her to focus. Staring at the rolled up piece of paper in between her fingers, Ali feels a boost of courage. She wants to impress Ashlyn. She wants the keeper to see she can break the rules.

As soon as Ali takes her first drag she's already feeling lighter. A smile spreads across her face as she blows a ring of smoke into the air.

"So?" Ashlyn asks beside her, smiling at Ali's reaction.

Ali turns her head and meets Ashlyn's eyes. "I like it." she whispers, then tilts her head up to the sky.

"That's good. I'm glad, because you looked like you needed a pick me up." Ashlyn says, picking at the grass beside her right knee. "I love it when you smile."

Ali's head whips to the side and she looks at Ashlyn carefully. Her heart pounds in her chest as she speaks. "You do?"

Ashlyn nods. "Of course. You have a beautiful smile, Ali."

Ali looks down shyly, wordlessly passing the blunt back to Ashlyn. She honestly doesn't know what to say to that. Her eyes scan the pitch and then shift up to the stars She loves how bright they look tonight.

"Your smile is brighter than the North Star."

Goosebumps break out across Ali's entire body as she feels Ashlyn's breath ghost across her ear. The keeper is so close to her now that she can feel her warmth radiating off of her. Soft lips run from her ear slowly across her cheek and her eyes slip closed on their own accord. Her body feels alive with energy.

"I want to be the one to make you smile." Ashlyn whispers quietly, her breath hitching. "And I mean that, Ali."

Ali almost can't believe what she's hearing. She knows Ashlyn must be a little high right now, but they say the truth comes out when you're drunk or high. She almost can't believe it, but she so totally can and totally wants to believe Ashlyn is saying is true.

She turns her head until she can look into hazel eyes. "If you really mean it, kiss me." Ali whispers.

Time seems to stand still for a beat as she waits for Ashlyn to move. When the keeper does, she moves in the direction Ali doesn't want her to. Ashlyn leans back and stares at the defender, watching a frown form on the younger girl's mouth. Just as Ali goes to look away, the keeper takes a drag of the blunt, puts it out on the bottom of her shoe, and reaches to cup Ali's cheeks with her big hands. She feels satisfaction when Ali's eyes widen and her breath hitches excitedly in her throat.

Ashlyn opens her mouth the smallest amount, letting smoke filter out as she leans closer and closer to Ali. The defender's eyes slip closed when their lips meet in the most amazing kiss of both of their lives.

Maybe it's the pot, maybe it's the smoke their mouths now share that makes it feel so sexy. It doesn't matter to them what makes it feel like it's their last first kiss. It just matters that it feels that way. 


	28. Young And In Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys could pretty please with sugar on top go read my new story that would be amazing. It would make a birthday girl (yeah, me) very happy. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

They started dating when they were 15. Ashlyn was reckless, Ali was careful, and somehow it worked. They found a delicate balance and fell hard for each other. They were young, but they loved each other no matter how hard times got.

And they did have some hard and interesting times. Like the day Ashlyn wrecked Ali's brand new car.

The day had started out great. They woke up in each other's arms after "accidentally" falling asleep in bed together watching a movie and decided to go out in Ali's new BMW that her dad bought her as a 16th birthday present. Driving to the beach was easy, but leaving was the tricky part. It turns out Ashlyn parked way too close to a streetlight in the parking lot. Sadly, they found that out after it was too late, and ended up with a big dent right in the middle of the car's trunk.

"Shit. My dad is gonna kill you." Ali had said, looking at Ashlyn with wide eyes.

He didn't kill her, but he did get pissed. He shoved Ashlyn hard, making her fall and scrape her arms pretty bad on the driveway's pavement.

"Dad!" Ali screamed at him, leaning down to help Ashlyn up. "What the hell?"

"You know Alex, if you were gonna date a girl it would've been nice for you to date one who isn't an idiot." Ken said, glaring at the blonde.

Kyle and Deb had made their way out of the house by now, and it was a good thing they had. They were able to grab Ashlyn before she could reach Ken with her fists. Ali was able to calm her down by stroking the blonde's cheeks and whispering to her softly.

Later that night while they were cuddled in Ali's bed, Ashlyn apologized. "I'm sorry for almost fighting your dad."

"Don't be." Ali giggled. "I wanted to punch him too."

Ashlyn smiled and pressed a kiss to Ali's forehead. "I go too far sometimes."

Ali kissed Ashlyn slowly and passionately, rolling the blonde over so she could straddle her hips. Her hands slipped under Ashlyn's shirt as she leaned down to kiss her, her lips hovering an inch away from the blonde's. "It's part of your charm."

The night after their high school graduation was the night Ali told Ashlyn it was over, stating they had fallen in love too young and things were getting too hard for them to go on. Not two seconds after the brunette had hung up, Ashlyn was on her way to her house. There was no way she was going to let Ali go. They had been through thick and thin together, and Ashlyn wasn't about to let Ali throw their relationship away like it was nothing.

Hearing the squeal of tires on her driveway, Ali looked out her window with wet eyes to find Ashlyn stepping out of her Jeep. She knew the blonde wouldn't go down without a fight so she wasn't surprised to see her. If anything, she was happy she was there. That meant Ashlyn didn't believe a single word of what Ali told her about being too young when they fell in love. Ali had a hard time believing what she said herself.

Just as Ashlyn was about to start pounding on Ali's front door, it swung open and the brunette appeared, eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Just because we were young when we fell in love doesn't mean we can't love each other until we're old." Ashlyn hurried out before Ali could speak. "We learned to love with each other's help. We were young and it was hard as hell, but we did it. I want to grow old with you Ali. I want to endure going through college together and starting our careers and starting a family and becoming grandparents and retiring and everything else life can throw at us with you. I'm not gonna let you give up on us."

By the time she's finished tears are streaming down her face and Ali has another batch of her own tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

The brunette's breath catches in her throat. "It's just so hard."

"What's hard?" the blonde asked.

"Being young. Being in love. Being in love when you're young." Ali said.

Ashlyn stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around the shorter girl's shoulders. "I know, baby. We've done it since we were 15. I don't see why we have to stop now."

Ali fisted Ashlyn's shirt in her hands. "We don't. I'm gonna love you until my last breath, Ashlyn Michelle Harris."

Ashlyn leaned back to kiss Ali firmly on the lips. "And I'm going to do the same to you, Alexandra Blaire Krieger." she vowed.

They both ended up telling the truth, because they never once stopped loving each other.


	29. Good Thing You're A Cuddler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning to write this for awhile now but just finally got around to it. I hope you guys like it. 
> 
> For anyone who reads Never Been A Moment (which you all should because, duh) I will hopefully get a chapter out in a couple days. Probably Tuesday or Wednesday. 
> 
> Mother's Day is tomorrow, so I'd like to wish any mothers on here a happy Mother's Day. For anyone like me who will be in pain tomorrow, just know I'm here if you want to talk. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

As Ali pushed the doors open to walk out of the Spirit offices, all she wanted to do was scream. Scream because she was mad, scream because she was sad, scream because she felt so humiliated by the organization heads. The words her now former team's owner had said to her in their meeting kept replaying in her head.

_"We value everything you've done for us, but we feel it would be better if you weren't part of the organization anymore. Sorry."_

But there was no remorse in this man. Ali could see right through him. He was a homophobic, xenophobic asshole. Plain and simple.

Being booted from her home team was something Ali hadn't seen coming. She gave her heart to this organization, and now it felt like her heart had been stepped on. Everything she had achieved with the Spirit felt so inadequate now.

She walked quickly to her car, head down so people wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. Whether they were angry tears or sad tears, Ali couldn't tell. All she knew was she needed to get on the next flight to Orlando. She needed to be with Ashlyn. While she headed to her apartment she dialed Ashlyn's number. As soon as the keeper answered Ali spoke.

"I need you to pick me up in Orlando today. I'll text you my flight information when I get my flight booked."

Ashlyn hesitated for a moment, a little surprised. "Um, okay. I'm not complaining that you're coming, but can I ask you why you are? Are you okay, baby?"

Ali sighed and wiped her cheeks. "I'll explain everything when I see you."

Ashlyn nodded, her mind racing with possible things that could cause the brunette to sound so distressed. "Okay. I love you."

"Love you too, baby. Bye." Ali said, then hung up and continued driving.

Four hours later Ashlyn was craning her neck trying to catch sight of her beautiful girlfriend in the airport crowd. She was so focused on searching the people in front of her that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around quickly and a big smile formed on her face as she took the sight of Ali in. She looked a little tired but she was still gorgeous.

Ashlyn pulled her in for a hug, cradling the back of the brunette's head. "Hi, beautiful." she whispered softly.

Ali rubbed Ashlyn's back as she stood in her tight embrace. "Hi. I missed you."

Ashlyn pulled back a little to gaze into Ali's eyes. "I missed you, too." She wished so much that they weren't in public so she could kiss her and make her eyes look happy instead of sad. "Come on. Let's go home."

When they made it to Ashlyn's car and were settled in their seats, the keeper took the chance then to pull Ali in for a kiss. Ali felt a sense of calm wash over her as Ashlyn's lips pressed to hers. She realized then that what happened may have been a blessing in disguise. The whole plane ride she had thought of how the situation sucked, but now that she was with Ashlyn she was thinking of how it was great. Now she could be with the one person she couldn't live without as much as she liked.

Leaning her forehead against Ashlyn's, Ali smiled. "So, I got fired."

Ashlyn's brow furrowed and she pulled back quickly. "What?"

Ali nodded and sighed. "The Spirit fired me."

"Are you fucking serious? They're idiots, babe. You're like, the heart and soul of that team. With you gone they're nothing."

Ali figured that much, but it didn't stop her from hurting. "I gave everything to them, and they just threw me away like I was nothing."

Ashlyn grabbed Ali's hand and held it tight. "You're far from nothing, Alex. You're everything. You're talented, dedicated, and you have the heart of a warrior. Letting you go is the dumbest thing they could've done, and they screwed up big time for doing it. Any team will be lucky to have you."

Ali smiled at the keeper. "Yeah, about that last part... It's a good thing you're a cuddler, because I'll be staying with you a lot from now on."

Ashlyn smiled widely and let out a loud "Yes!", fist pumping the air a few times before pulling Ali in for a deep kiss. They were both breathless for a few moments after they pulled apart. Ashlyn's dimple was a crater in her cheek.

"Goddamn, I'm so happy. I mean it's a shitty way that this had to happen, but I'm so happy. I love you so much." Ashlyn said quickly. She pecked Ali on the lips and started the car in a hurry.

"I'm happy too, goofball. Now what are you in such a rush for?" Ali said as Ashlyn sped out of their parking spot and toward the highway.

"I'm in the mood for some celebratory cuddles. Naked celebratory cuddles, if you get my drift." the keeper said, giving Ali a little wink.

Ali smiled and rested her hand on Ashlyn's thigh. "That sounds amazing. Get us home quick, stud."


	30. My Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***trigger warning***  
> This chapter contains mentions of domestic abuse. 
> 
> I encourage anyone who may be experiencing abuse to get help. You're not alone and there are people who care about you. 
> 
> The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

They met for the first time when they were seven.

Ashlyn was sitting by herself under a tree at recess to get out of the blaring Florida sun when she saw the brown haired girl standing by herself. She had heard there was a new girl in their grade, but hadn't seen her since they were in different classrooms. The blonde played with the thumb of the blue cast on her wrist, waiting for the brunette to look her way. It took a solid minute of staring for the new girl to glance at her, and when she did the blonde waved at her with her uncasted hand. The brunette glanced over her shoulder, thinking the blonde was waving to someone behind her, but found no one there. She took a minute to stare and finally walked over to the blonde under the tree after the girl had beckoned her over.

Ashlyn smiled as the girl sat down next to her. "Hi."

"Hello." the brunette mumbled. Ashlyn could tell she was shy.

"I'm Ashlyn. You're the new girl, right?"

The girl blushed a little and nodded. "Yes. I'm Ali."

Ashlyn smiled again and she saw Ali look at her left cheek.

"You have a dimple." Ali said, and felt stupid for saying it. This girl knew that already, and didn't need her pointing it out.

Ashlyn kept smiling though, putting Ali at ease. "Yeah. I get it from my dad." Her smile wavered for a second and then she was okay again.

Ali gave a tentative smile. "That's cool." She glanced down at Ashlyn's wrist. "What happened?" she asked, pointing to the cast.

"I fell on it." Ashlyn lied through her teeth without a second thought. She was relieved when Ali didn't question the explanation.

"I bet that hurt, huh? I've never broken anything before, so I wouldn't know." the brunette said. She looked shy suddenly. "Can I touch it? The cast?"

Ashlyn shrugged. "Sure." she said, lifting her hand up and leaving it there for Ali to reach.   
The brown haired girl slowly ran her fingers over the scratchy material, starting from mid forearm and going toward Ashlyn's fingers. Ashlyn's hand was curled with her palm up, so she wasn't surprised their fingers brushed together. She was surprised though by the way her body gave a little jolt at the contact. Her heart jumped and beated quickly for a few seconds before settling down. She looked into the brunette's eyes and noticed she looked surprised too. She felt comfort in the fact that she wasn't the only one to feel it.

Ali blushed and looked at the grass beneath them. "Sorry." she mumbled.

Ashlyn smiled and Ali looked at her shyly. The brunette tried to ignore the way her stomach fluttered, but she couldn't. A smile made its way onto her lips.

"It's alright." Ashlyn whispered, staring into Ali's eyes and loving the way her stomach fluttered.

//  
Ashlyn started sneaking over at night when they were thirteen.

The first night it happened the brunette was so scared by the face in her window that she almost screamed for her dad to help her. After she recognized the blonde wavy hair and dimple she was relieved, and hurried to quietly lift the window for her best friend to sneak in. Ashlyn climbed in and smiled at the brunette, but it didn't meet her eyes.

"Sorry to scare you. Just wanted to drop in and see you." she said, walking over to Ali's bed and sitting on it.

Ali looked at her quizzically. "Um, okay. Normal people don't climb up their friend's houses just to see them. What's going on?" she asked softly, sitting next to the blonde.

Ashlyn stared down at her lap, fidgeting with her fingers. It took her a minute to be able to speak.

"I had to get away." she whispered, her voice cracking.

Ali felt heavy. "Did he hurt you?" she asked quietly, her throat constricting with emotion.   
Ashlyn sighed softly and slowly lifted up her shirt to reveal the beginning formation of nasty bruises all over her right side and lower back. Ali gasped quietly and reached out to very softly run the tips of her fingers over the blonde's skin. When Ashlyn flinched at the minimal contact Ali pulled her hand away.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Ashlyn whispered, sounding on the verge of tears.

Ali nodded. "Of course. You can always stay here."

She went over to lock her door, then went into her bathroom to get Ashlyn a pain pill. The blonde took it gratefully and then laid down on Ali's big bed. Ali curled up against Ashlyn's good side and Ashlyn wrapped her arm around the brunette, feeling content to just lay there in silence. Tears rolled down her cheeks and Ali was right there to wipe them away.

"I love you, Ash." Ali whispered just before they fell asleep.

"I love you too, Ali. So much." Ashlyn whispered, leaning her cheek against the top of Ali's head. They fell asleep shortly after.

After that first night Ashlyn snuck over every night without fault. She'd leave her house after her parents passed out, both drunk and high as a kite, and five minutes later would be lifting Ali's cracked window open to let herself in. Two years passed with them falling asleep curled up together every night. The last thing they said to each other was "I love you." and the first thing they said to each other in the morning was "Best night's sleep ever."

Ali felt the shift happen when they were sixteen. Suddenly she was fighting the urge every night to kiss Ashlyn when the blonde was crying in her arms. She comforted her as much as she could with tight hugs and whispered I love yous that had more weight to them than Ashlyn knew.

The night Ashlyn's dad found out she was gay was the night things changed.

Ali was laying down facing her window with a heaviness in her chest that came when she knew Ashlyn was getting hurt. She felt helpless. No matter how many times she begged Ashlyn to go to the police the blonde said no. She couldn't understand it. Every night Ashlyn came to her with a new bruise, and every night Ashlyn shook her head at Ali's insistence to tell someone what was happening.

When the window finally opened five minutes before eleven, all Ali could do was stare with wide eyes as Ashlyn stepped into her room. The blonde's shirt was ripped and had bloodstains on it from her bleeding nose, and both of her eyes were starting to become black and blue. Blood trickled down her chin slowly from her split lip. She looked at the brunette with empty eyes.

"Ashlyn." Ali breathed out as she slowly walked toward the blonde. "Oh my god." she choked out, tears falling from her eyes as she carefully cupped Ashlyn's cheeks.

"I'm okay." Ashlyn whispered. "I'm here now. I'm okay. I'm okay." She kept saying it over and over, like she was trying to convince herself.

Ali quickly went and grabbed her phone. "I'm calling the police." she mumbled.

Just as she was about to type 911, Ashlyn's hand grabbed the phone and took it out of her hand. Ali looked at the blonde in disbelief.

"Are you fucking serious Ashlyn? Give me my phone. I'm calling the police whether you want me to or not." Ali said, trying to get her phone back with no luck. Ashlyn kept it out of her reach.

"If you do that I'll never forgive you." Ashlyn said with conviction in her voice.

"If I help you you'll never forgive me?" Ali asked. "What kind of fucked up shit is that, Ash?" Ali couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Ashlyn sighed and wiped her chin and nose with her shirt. "Ali, if you call the police and get my dad arrested they'll take me away. I don't want to be taken away from you. You're the only reason I'm alive right now."

Ali stopped trying to get her phone back and stared at the blonde. "What do you mean?" she whispered.

Ashlyn sat down on the corner of Ali's bed. "Every time my dad does something to me, all I think about is you. You get me through it. I go through the pain, and then I come home to you. You make me feel safe. You're my home, Ali." Ashlyn looked into Ali's big brown eyes. "The reason I don't tell anyone what he does to me is so I don't get taken away from you. It's selfish, yes. But I don't care. I'll go through all the pain he can inflict on me before I'm taken from you. I swear it."

Ali stood there with a slack jaw, working through everything in her mind slowly. _She goes through it for me,_ Ali thought to herself. _I'm her home._ Fresh hot tears fell down her face and she sobbed loudly once before Ashlyn had her wrapped in her arms. Ashlyn ignored the way her body screamed in pain from the way the brunette was clutching her. Instead, she focused on how much she loved her and never wanted to let her go.

After Ali calmed down enough to talk, she pulled back and cupped Ashlyn's cheeks. "Seeing you like this makes my heart hurt."

Ashlyn nodded. "I know. And I'm sorry for putting you through this." She sighed. "If only I had just been mean to you your first day of school here and ignored you. Would've saved you a lot of pain."

Ali shakes her head. "If you had done that I wouldn't have become best friends with you, and I would've never realized you're the love of my life."

Ashlyn started to cry. "And I'd be dead."

"Don't say that." Ali breathed out, stroking Ashlyn's cheek. "Don't."

"It's true. I can't live without you, Ali. I just can't." she sobbed.

Ali pulled the blonde close and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You don't have to ever worry about living without me, Ashlyn. Not now, not ever. I'm always here. I love you." She kissed her cheek and lifted Ashlyn's chin up to look into her eyes. "I love you." she repeated, then pressed her lips to the blonde's.

Ashlyn sighed into Ali's mouth and pulled the brunette close, feeling lighter than ever before. All of the pain in her body dissipated and turned into pleasure as her lips moved against Ali's. Ali's hands rubbed her back soothingly and chills went up her spine. When they finally pulled apart they were both out of breath.

Ashlyn rested her forehead against Ali's. "I love you, Ali."

"I love you." Ali smiled, leaning forward for one more kiss.

They were silent for a few moments as they hold each other. Ali was the one to break the silence.

"What are we gonna do, Ash?" she asked quietly.

Ashlyn knew what she was talking about. "We're gonna get through it together. Two more years. Then I can leave."

Ali pressed her face into Ashlyn's neck. " _We_ can leave."

Ashlyn smiled. "Yeah. We can leave." She pressed a kiss to Ali's hairline. "Wherever we want to go, we can go."

Ali burrowed into the blonde's embrace. "I don't care where we go. All I care about is you being safe."

"I'm safe with you. You're my home, remember?" Ashlyn said, feeling Ali's lips stretch into a smile against her skin.

"I love you, Ashlyn Michelle Harris." Ali whispered.

Ashlyn sighed happily. "I love you more, Alexandra Blaire Krieger."


	31. My Home part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, sorry I went MIA for awhile. Life caught up to me. Finals, then graduation, and job hunting and all that jazz took up some time but I finally sat down and powered through to write this. This is a continuation of the last oneshot so if you haven't read that you need to read it first. 
> 
> Second, I will get back to Never Been A Moment when I can. Right now I'm busy with graduation party planning, but hopefully I'll get some free time after that's over. I might also try to get back into Secret Love soon. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

They make love for the first time the night Ali's parents announce their divorce.

When Ashlyn climbed through the window to find Ali sobbing into her pillow, her heart clenched as she hurried to her girlfriend's side. Ali didn't cry often, so seeing the way Ali's body was curled into itself as she trembled and shook with her sobs was heartbreaking for Ashlyn to watch. The blonde tried to calm the brunette down every way she could think of, but nothing seemed to work. She could tell Ali was on the verge of hyperventilating from her crying, so Ashlyn did the only thing she could think of to get her to stop.

She kissed her.

The second their lips touched Ali felt like she could breath again. She took a deep breath after they pulled apart and looked into Ashlyn's eyes, feeling tears fall down her cheeks. She felt like her chest was cracking in half and everything inside her was spilling out. She felt hollow, and she needed Ashlyn to fill her up so she was whole again.

She took Ashlyn by surprise by pulling the blonde into the hottest kiss they've ever had. Ali gripped Ashlyn's body tightly and rolled them over so she was straddling her waist. She pulled back just as their tongues start dueling for dominance, and ripped her shirt off quickly. Ashlyn's eyes widened, but before she could say anything Ali was on her again, pressing her mouth to the blonde's, hard. She felt conflicted. She loved Ali so much and wanted this to happen more than she'd admit, but she didn't want it to happen when Ali was so emotional.

Cupping the brunette's cheeks, Ashlyn pushed back and put some space between them. Ali's eyes were dark and hooded and Ashlyn felt a twinge between her legs. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"Ali, slow down." Ashlyn said, rubbing her thumbs under Ali's eyes to collect the last of her tears.

Ali frowned. "I don't want to." she mumbled, then leaned forward quickly to try and connect their lips again. Ashlyn was quick to shake her head and thwart Ali's move.

"Ali please, just..." She trailed off.

"Just what?" Ali huffed, getting impatient.

Ashlyn raked her eyes down Ali's front, taking in the fast rise and fall of Ali's bra clad chest and the way her abs constricted with her movements. The blonde suddenly felt stupid for stopping them. Right about now she could've had her head buried between her beautiful girlfriend's legs, making her forgot her name and all of the pain she was feeling. She could've been helping Ali, but instead she was making her frustrated.

Ashlyn sighed, trailing her fingertips down Ali's neck softly. Ali's breath hitched when Ashlyn cupped her breast over her bra, and her head fell against the pillow with a muted thud. Ashlyn leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Ali's lips.

"I don't want you to regret doing this now. When you're in pain." the blonde whispered.

Ali clasped her fingers together around the back of Ashlyn's neck. "I won't regret it, baby. Please just make love to me, Ashlyn. Please." She tilted her head to the side to leave open mouthed kisses down Ashlyn's neck that left the blonde lightheaded. "Make me feel loved." Ali breathed out.

Ashlyn nodded slowly and rolled over, putting her whole body on top of Ali's. Clothes were shed quickly and expletives mumbled when they felt skin on skin. Ashlyn took her time kissing every inch of Ali's body before she gave into her girlfriend's whispered pleas for relief. And five minutes later, Ali fell over the edge with a gasp, her fingers buried in Ashlyn's blonde locks as she forgot her name and what it felt like to feel pain. In that moment all she felt was love.

//

They made a plan to get Ashlyn away from her dad the day Ashlyn turned seventeen.

"One more year." the blonde had whispered into Ali's ear after they were done making love that night.

Ali smiled a little, trailing her blunt fingernails up and down Ashlyn's sweaty back. "That's right. One more year, baby. Then you'll be safe."

Ashlyn kissed Ali's shoulder and then rolled to the side, resting her cheek on the brunette's chest. "What do we do, though? How will I get away from him?"

Ali's heart clenched at the sound of Ashlyn's voice. It sounded so weak, and Ali knew more than anyone that Ashlyn was anything but that. Six out of seven days of the week the blonde came climbing through her window with new bruises and tears in her eyes. The fact that she was able to keep going though the pain inflicted on her showed that Ashlyn was stronger than she thought she was.

"You can move in here." Ali said.

Ashlyn quirked an eyebrow. "Will your mom be okay with that?"

Ali bit her lip, feeling something she should've told Ashlyn awhile ago bubbling in her throat. "Well..."

Ashlyn lifted her head up and raked her eyes over Ali's face. "What?" she asked hesitantly.

Ali sighed, looking at a freckle on Ashlyn's shoulder. "My mom knows you sneak in."

Ali held her breath as she watched the blonde take this in. She wasn't sure how she thought she'd react. Would Ashlyn laugh at this news, or would she get mad that the brunette had kept it from her all this time?

Ashlyn pursed her lips contemplatively. "How long?"

"What?"

"How long has she known?"

Ali bit her lip and looked at Ashlyn through her eyelashes. "About a year now."

Ashlyn's eyes widened. "Holy shit. That long."

"I should've told you when she first confronted me about it. I'm sorry." Ali apologized, feeling bad for not telling her.

The blonde was silent for a few minutes and then sighed. "So you're telling me your mom knew about me sneaking in for a whole year, and you didn't think to tell me?"

Ali opened her mouth to speak but Ashlyn cut her off, a small smile on her lips.

"This whole last year I could've just walked through your front door instead of climbing up your house to get up here. Geez, Ali. You must really like making a girl work for it."

Ali covered her eyes with her hand in embarrassment. "Oh my god, no. That's not why I didn't tell you." she said, chuckling softly.

Ashlyn smiled and pulled herself up so she was hovering over the brunette. "Are you sure, babe? Cause I feel like you didn't tell me just so I'd have to work hard every night to get you naked."

Ali laughed loudly, blushing a little as she removed her hand from her eyes. "I can assure you that I didn't tell you because of that." She linked her fingers around the blonde's neck. "I just didn't want to worry you. My mom is fine with it. She knows why you do it."

Ashlyn ran her fingertips along Ali's jawline. "Did she ask you or..."

"She had suspected it. I just confirmed it. Was that okay for me to do?" She suddenly felt like she had crossed a line and was worried how Ashlyn felt about it.

Ashlyn thought for a moment. "Yeah. What did she say after that?"

"She was glad you had found a safe place here and said she didn't care that you were here at night." She stroked Ashlyn's hair softly. "All she cares about is your safety. And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Ashlyn smiled and pressed a kiss to Ali's forehead. "I love you. You know that?"

Ali giggled and kissed the blonde on the lips softly. "I do know that. I love you, baby."

They were quiet for a minute, just holding each other as they both thought about everything. Ashlyn was the one to break the silence.

"So I can live here?"

Ali nodded. "Of course."

A few seconds after Ali answered Ashlyn looked at her with fear. "What happens if he finds out I'm living here? He'll probably kill me."

Ali was quick to cup Ashlyn's cheeks, looking at her lovingly to calm her down. "Ashlyn, honey, you can't think like that. You can't let him put that fear in you. Worrying about him finding you while you're living here will keep you from living in general. We have time to prepare."

Ashlyn nodded quickly, resting her forehead on Ali's and taking a few deep breaths.

"One day at a time, baby. One day at a time." Ali whispered, holding the blonde close. "We'll get through it."

And they did, although some days were better than others.

Some days Ashlyn wasn't even worried about the future. She felt confident that moving in with Ali was the best choice. On those days she couldn't wait for her eighteenth birthday to come around.

Other days though, she couldn't stand the thought of moving in with Ali. On those days, she convinced herself that living with her dad was the better idea. That way, he wouldn't get pissed off and come looking for her with a vengeance. He wouldn't want to kill her like she was convinced he would do if he found her. She would take the beatings gladly if it meant she didn't have to worry about dying.

On the bad days Ali was always there to put Ashlyn in her place. Any time the brunette saw that look of hesitance in the blonde's eyes, Ali was quick to shut it down. She wasn't going to let Ashlyn think herself out of the decision that would guarantee her safety.

"Honey, please don't cry." Ali whispered to the blonde one night about a month before Ashlyn's birthday.

"I don't want to die, Ali." Ashlyn sobbed into the brunette's neck.

Ali closed her eyes tightly, willing herself not to cry. She needed to be strong so the blonde would be too.

"He's not gonna kill you. I know you won't let that happen. You're stronger than him." Ali said confidently.

When the day finally arrived everything seemed to be fine. When Ashlyn left for school her dad was passed out with a hangover, but when she got home he was waiting for her, the bag she had packed the night before sitting in front of him.

"What's this?" he slurred, already drunk out of his mind at three pm. "You going somewhere?"

Ashlyn swallowed thickly and thought as fast as she could. "I'm just spending the night at a friend's house."

Her dad stood up with a scowl on his face. "You're such a terrible liar. I know what you're doing." He stumbled closer to the blonde as he spoke. "You're leaving. You think now that you're eighteen you can just leave me. Well, you better think again, bitch. You're mine, and you're not going anywhere."

Ashlyn's nose scrunched up as he got closer, the smell of alcohol on his breath overpowering her senses. She started backing away from him and watched as his fist balled up in agitation. It was only a matter of time before he swung.

"You're such a dumb bitch, Ashlyn. I bet you think I don't know where you're going." he said as he stalked forward.

Ashlyn's stomach dropped to her feet. _He knows_ , she thought to herself. _He's gonna kill me_.

"You're going to your dyke girlfriend's house." __

By now they were in the kitchen. Ashlyn searched as quickly as she could for something to defend herself with. _A knife. I should get a knife_ , she thought. _But they're on the other side of the room in a drawer. Shit._

"You're so stupid for going to her. She's gonna realize you're a piece of shit and when she makes you leave you'll have nowhere to go." He laughed quietly. "I might as well save her the trouble, don't you think? I'll end you now and she won't even care, I'm sure of it."

Ashlyn's heart pounded in her chest so hard she was sure it could be heard a mile away. _Think Ashlyn, think. You need to get out of here and find Ali_ , she thought. Just then her leg bumped into a slightly ajar cabinet and pots and pans fell out onto the floor. The cast iron skillet that fell right in front of her seemed to be screaming her name. Just as her dad lunged for her throat, she ducked and grabbed the skillet, swinging it at an angle so the side of it hit him right on the temple. The crack that filled the room as the skillet and his head met was sickening, and Ashlyn gasped, dropping the pan as her dad's lifeless body hit the floor with a hard thud.

Everything seemed to stand still for a long moment. Ashlyn watched as blood flowed onto the linoleum, unable to tell if he was still breathing or not. She backed up slowly until her back hit the wall and slid down until she was sitting. She stared at the dark red, almost black puddle on the floor, not knowing what to do. When her phone started ringing she numbly slid her finger across the screen.

"Ali... I think I killed my dad."

//

Eight months later when Ashlyn walked across the stage to receive her high school diploma, she cried. She didn't cry because she was in pain. She didn't cry because she was sad. She didn't cry because she was leaving high school. She cried because she was happy.

Happiness to her meant no bruises. Happiness to her meant her dad was in prison with a nasty scar on his head from a cast iron skillet. And most importantly, happiness to her meant Ali Krieger.

After caps were thrown and applause came from the audience, Ali and Ashlyn found each other on stage. The smiles on their faces were miles wide and never disappeared, even when they shared a deep kiss. They knew that day marked the end of their high school days, but more importantly it marked the beginning of the rest of their lives.

And they were going to tackle life head on together.


	32. Empty Calories Need Burned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short but the idea just popped into my head randomly and I went with it. I'd really appreciate it if you guys gave me some prompts to write because most of the time I can't think of any. I'm working on getting my motivation up for Never Been A Moment and Secret Love. 
> 
> Happy Fourth everyone! Enjoy :)

Ashlyn hummed softly as she went around the kitchen looking for ingredients for a sandwich. The keeper was starving after a long morning of shredding some waves with her cousin and needed some fuel to keep her going. Right after she slapped the top piece of bread on her meal and was about to take a bite, Ali walked into the kitchen and raised an eyebrow at her. Ashlyn paused, catching Ali's eye and lowering the sandwich from her lips.

"Yes, dear?" Ashlyn asked sweetly, already knowing what Ali was going to say.

The defender walked over and inspected the sandwich's contents. "Ash... I told you you shouldn't eat Nutella sandwiches. They're empty calories."

Ashlyn smiled and took a big bite of the hazelnut spread sandwich that tasted like heaven. "Delicious empty calories, babe."

Ali rolled her eyes and moved to make her own lunch. "Well, don't complain when you have to work out extra hard to burn off that crap."

Ashlyn gasped dramatically. "Wow. You called Nutella crap? That's crime you better take it back."

Ali chuckled at her girlfriend's antics. "Just eat your sandwich, baby." she said, then started chopping up vegetables for salad. "Do you want some of this with me?"

"Nah." Ashlyn mumbled. "This is good enough."

When Ali glanced up at the keeper she noticed she had a glob of Nutella on the corner of her mouth and went over to her. She gave her a long kiss that had Ashlyn's head spinning, and when she pulled back she licked her lips, tasting the sweetness on them.

"That stuff is pure sugar." she shook her head as she went back to chopping vegetables. "Better get working on some crunches, babe."

Ashlyn licked her fingers as she stuffed the rest of the sandwich into her mouth. "I don't know Alex," she said, lifting her shirt up to show off her hard abs. "I think I'll be fine. Don't you?" She smirked when she saw Ali bite her lip as she gazed at the keeper's stomach.

Ali slowly made her way to the short haired woman and ran her hand down the taunt abs she loved so much. A shiver went up Ashlyn's spine at her touch.

"I know a good way to burn off those empty calories." Ali said, chewing on her lip and looking at her gorgeous girlfriend through her eyelashes.

"Oh yeah?" Ashlyn smirked. She quickly pulled Ali into her arms and wrapped the defender's legs around her waist tightly. "So do I." she smiled as she walked them upstairs to their room.


	33. Teammates In Tube Slides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like writing something cute so I did. Hope you guys like it. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

"Oliver, hold your sister's hand please." Ashlyn said as she walked behind her five year old son and two year old daughter. She made sure to keep an eye on Brooklyn. The little girl had a reputation of falling down, even when she was walking on flat surfaces. At any second the keeper had to be prepared to swoop in and catch the toddler before she hit the ground if she tripped.

Oliver grabbed Brooklyn's hand. "I holding it, Mama." he said proudly.

"Good job, buddy." Ashlyn smiled, then looked around the park to see if she could catch sight of her wife. The couple had invited Tobin, Christen, Allie, Kelley, and HAO to their house for the Fourth of July to celebrate, but the kids didn't know. All of their teammates were at the park waiting to surprise them, and Ali had given Ashlyn instructions to take the kids to the jungle gym where the women would be hiding in the numerous slides there.

Brooklyn stopped walking and turned to Ashlyn. "Mama, where Mommy?"

Ashlyn gently guided the little girl forward with a hand on her back. "She's waiting up here with your surprise."

Oliver got excited. "There's a surprise?! Where Mama?" He ran forward along the sidewalk, bringing Brooklyn along with him and making her stumble. Her little legs couldn't keep up with his longer ones, and she inevitably fell down. Ashlyn caught her just before she hit the ground, but the toddler was scared by the near miss and started to cry.

"Olly made me fall." she pouted.

Ashlyn set her daughter on her hip and looked at her son. "Oliver, be careful when you're holding your sister's hand. She can't keep up with you when you run."

Oliver looked up at Brooklyn. "I sorry Brooky. I just excited for the surprise."

Brooklyn sniffled. "It okay." The little girl was fine now that she was in her Mama's arms, but she still rested her head on Ashlyn's shoulder for some cuddles. She was definitely a cuddly kid and loved to be in her parents arms.

Ashlyn smiled and kissed Brooklyn's forehead. "Alright guys. Come on, your surprise might be getting impatient." She knew her friends were waiting in the slides already so they weren't seen before the kids got to the jungle gym, and she figured they'd want to get out of the slides sooner rather than later. She grabbed Oliver's hand and led him in the direction they needed to go.

Brooklyn was the first of the two kids to notice Ali. "Mommy!" she yelled to the brunette woman on the swings.

Ali smiled at the sound of her daughter's voice and stopped the swing she was on to greet her family.

"Hi babies. You ready for your surprise?" Ali asked, hugging Oliver who had his arms around her legs and taking Brooklyn out of Ashlyn's arms.

"Yeah Mommy. Where is it?" Oliver asked.

"You gotta find it, little man." Ashlyn said. "You and Brooklyn have to go around the jungle gym and find all five of your surprises."

Oliver's eyes widened. "There's five of them? Wow!" He looked up at Brooklyn. "Come on, Brooky. We got to get going!"

Brooklyn smiled and squirmed in Ali's arms until she let her down. "I coming!" she said as she ran after her big brother who had already taken off in his search.

Ashlyn and Ali smiled at each other, taking a seat on the bench close to them. "This was a great idea." Ali smiled. "They get to find some of their favorite people and have fun doing it."

Ashlyn nodded. "It was definitely a good idea." she agreed, watching as Oliver peeked up one of the tube slides.

"Pookie!" he yelled when he saw Allie smiling at him from up top.

Allie slid down the slide and brought her favorite little boy into her arms. "Pookie Jr!" she smiled.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn was slowly making her way up the jungle gym steps, using the railing just like her mothers had taught her to. She smiled to herself when she reached the top and made her way to one of the two twisty tube slides there. A little gasp left her when she saw her favorite midfielder smiling back at her.

"Toby!" she yelled happily, throwing herself at the woman excitedly.

Tobin caught the two year old in her arms and gave her a big hug. ""Hi Brooky." she smiled. "How's my favorite little girl doing?"

Brooklyn held onto Tobin's neck tightly. "I so happy you here!" she said to Tobin, then caught sight of someone else in the slide with them. "Cwisten, you here too? Yay!"

Christen giggled and took the excited girl out of her girlfriends arms. She gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "Oh, I missed you so much." she smiled as Brooklyn hugged her tightly.

Just like Brooklyn, Oliver was also getting a two for one deal, and he didn't have to try hard to find it. You could hear HAO and Kelley bickering as they tried to stay close to each other in the slide.

"Jesus, Kelley." HAO groaned. "Just because we're Irish soul sisters doesn't mean you need to sit on my lap."

Kelley huffed. "Well, sorry. I'm just having a hard time staying still in this slide. I wore the wrong shoes for this."

"You should've wore actually tennis shoes instead of your Jesus sandals."

"Hey! Don't dis the sandals. They're nice."

The two women were interrupted by giggles. They looked toward the foot of the slide and saw Oliver smiling at them.

"You found us!" Kelley yelled as HAO sighed behind her.

"More like heard us." the UNC alumni muttered and pushed Kelley off of her lap, sending her sliding all the way to the bottom. Both women emerged from the slide and smiled at Oliver.   
"Come here munchkin." Kelley said, scooping the boy into her arms.

"Hey, share." HAO told the defender, and went to hug Oliver.

Ashlyn and Ali smiled at each other as all five of their teammates and their two children had fun on the jungle gym. Ali sighed and rested her head on Ashlyn's shoulder.

"We're so lucky. Two wonderful kids, amazing friends and family." She smiled up at the taller woman with content eyes. "I love our life."

Ashlyn nodded and pressed a kiss to Ali's forehead. "I do too, baby. I do, too." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to tell me what you thought. I love reading comments :)


	34. The Newborn Jitters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know it's been awhile, but life has kept me from being able to write. I had to switch colleges, I got a job, my license and a car, and I'm starting college in like two weeks, so everything is hectic right now. I'm just not gonna have a life from now until the fall semester is over in December. 
> 
> I haven't forgotten about you guys at all, believe me. I've been trying to find the time and energy to write for a few weeks and just now found the time. I apologize ahead of time if it's awhile before I update again. As I said I'm gonna be pretty busy. 
> 
> If you requested a chapter, I didn't forget about you. The requests will be what I post next. As for my other two stories those are on hold. Honestly, I'm probably gonna stop with Never Been A Moment, unless people want me to continue. I'm not done with Secret Love for sure, I just need to get back in the groove of that story. 
> 
> Anyway, enough about me. Enjoy :)

If there was one thing Ashlyn was afraid to admit as she watched her wife gaze down at their newborn daughter, it was that she was nervous to hold the little girl.

Now Ashlyn had had plenty of practice holding babies before this moment, but there was something completely different about it being her own baby. It added an element of protectiveness that she hadn't felt before, but that protectiveness gave her anxiety. What if the baby squirmed and she dropped her? What if her unexpectedly loud cry jolted the keeper and startled her so much she lost her grip on the precious little bundle of joy? Ashlyn would never be able to forgive herself if she did that. Her job of protecting her daughter would already be failed just hours after the little girl was born.

Ali stroked the newborn's pink cheek softly and shifted her gaze to her wife. She could feel the nervousness radiating off of the short haired woman. She shifted the baby's weight into her left arm and reached to grab Ashlyn's hand with her right one.

"Hey." she said softly. "What's the matter?"

Ashlyn's eyes flicked up from the baby's face to her wife's. She was surprised by the question, and worked hard to get her emotions under control. "Nothing, honey. Everything's great." she managed to smile.

Ali rubbed Ashlyn's knuckles with her thumb, not believing her but deciding it could wait for awhile. Right now was a time for learning every little feature of their little girl and letting their love for her grow.

A nurse came in to check on Ali and the baby shortly after that and smiled at the trio. "Have you decided on a name yet?"

Ali smiled apologetically. "No, not yet. I just can't stop staring at her." she admitted. "I haven't even thought about names since I felt the first contraction."

The young nurse smiled understandingly. "That's fine. Take all the time you need. Congratulations again." she said before leaving the little family alone.

Ali looked at Ashlyn. "Here, baby. Why don't you hold her? Sorry I've been hogging her."

She looked expectantly at Ashlyn, waiting for her to move to grab their daughter, but she never did. The keeper simply sat there and played with her fingers, one of her nervous tells. She stared at the little girl with wide eyes.

Ali knew suddenly why Ashlyn had been so nervous before and was nervous now. She reached up to cup the keeper's cheek.

"Babe, don't be worried about holding her. It's second nature, I promise." she said softly.

Ashlyn let out a deep breath. "I don't want to drop her. She's so small, and I just... I'm supposed to keep her safe and if I drop her that means I'm an incompetent mother and she looks so much like you that I just want to hold her forever and protect her but I can't do that if I can't even hold her-"

Ali put her hand over Ashlyn's mouth to stop her from rambling. "Take a deep breath, Ash. It's okay, you're fine." she soothed the woman, watching tears form in her hazel eyes. She wiped away a few tears with her thumb. "Shh, don't cry. Ashlyn, I love that you want to protect her so much. That makes me love you even more. Please don't be scared to hold her. I'll help you if you'd like?" 

Ashlyn looked down. "I feel pathetic. I'm scared to even hold my own baby." She shook her head at herself, grabbing Ali's hand tightly in her own and rubbing the soft skin on the top of her hand for comfort.

"I think that's perfectly normal." Ali said, sitting up in bed a little. She carefully turned the baby in her arms and looked at her wife. "Cradle your arms."

Ashlyn hesitated for a few moments, staring at the wiggly newborn in her wife's arms. The baby let out a few whimpers and then a loud cry.

Ali smiled. "See. She wants her mama, honey."

Ashlyn's eyes lit up at the statement and Ali knew she had said the right thing. The keeper made a cradle and Ali very carefully rested the little girl in her waiting arms. The short haired woman was very still for a moment. Ali held her breath and didn't release it until she saw the keeper move.

A smile a wide long lit up Ashlyn's face as she laughed joyously at the feeling of having her daughter in her arms for the first time. It was like all of that anxiety she had felt before hadn't even happened in the first place. Ali was right, it was like second nature.

Ashlyn leaned down to kiss the top of the baby's head. "I promise you I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe." she whispered to her daughter. "I love you so much."

Ali wiped a few tears away, witnessing the most beautiful scene she had ever seen. As she watched her wife she made a decision.

"Charlotte." she whispered.

Ashlyn looked at her. "Charlotte? You wanna use the name I picked?"

Ali nodded with a smile. "Yes. Charlotte Michelle."

The keeper teared up at the mention of her middle name. "Thank you." she whispered to Ali. She looked down at Charlotte, who was very much enjoying being in her mama's warm arms, and held her tighter. "Mama's always got you, Charli."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by my bother, who told me he was afraid to hold my nephew for the first time. Hope you guys liked it. Make sure to drop me a comment if you liked it :)


	35. Can Never Tell You No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, it's been awhile lol. 
> 
> College has me super busy all the time so I never get time to write. I have classes, work study, work on the weekends, THON, my honors project and everything else, all while trying to maintain a social life, so you can probably see now why I've been gone so long. I got a rare day of having nothing to do so I decided to write for you guys. I hope you like. 
> 
> Also, I'm thinking of starting a story where Ashlyn moves to a small town to be a farmer. She meets Ali there, who runs the general store. That's a terrible summary, but I need more time to think about it. If you guys could, would you please comment and let me know if you're interested in reading it if I write it? I wouldn't be able to post it until December when my semester is over. Thanks. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

For the second year in a row, national team matches had worked against Ashlyn and Ali's plans to spend Ashlyn's birthday together. The morning the roster comes out for the two matches against Korea Ali sits in bed, Ashlyn still snoring softly at her side, and prays that Jill included her. The defender pretty much has come to terms with the fact her coach has iced her out of the national team, but sometimes miracles do happen. Sadly, today is not one of those times. 

She feels the prick of tears threatening to spill and takes a deep breath. She needs something to distract her. She does not want to cry because of Jill Ellis. 

Locking her phone and setting it on her bedside table, she lays down and turns to face the short haired goddess beside her. Her torso is bare from their night of steamy lovemaking and the sheets are pooled at her waist, obstructing the defender's view of the rest of her gorgeous, naked body. Ali feels a heat stir in her just thinking about it. 

She brings her hand up to Ashlyn's back, flat and rippled with muscle as the keeper sleeps on her stomach, and slowly run it up and down the taller women's spine. A moan is muffled into the pillows and Ali smirks to herself. Leaving a kiss on Ashlyn's shoulder blade, the defender trails her hand toward the sheets at Ashlyn's waist and slips her hand under them. She grabs a nice handful of the keeper's ass, squeezing a few times in hopes of waking her up. It's done the trick, she sees, as Ashlyn begins to stretch. 

"Mmm, what's the fondling for, princess?" Ashlyn mumbles out sleepily, running her fingers through her unruly hair so she can see her beautiful girlfriend. 

Ali smiles and gives one more squeeze before trailing her hand back up to Ashlyn's back. She plays with the short hairs at the back of the keeper's neck. 

"Just couldn't help myself." the defender whispers, before pressing kisses to Ashlyn's biceps. She moves her lips toward her keeper's neck and appreciates the moan she receives. 

Before the long haired brunette knows it, the two of them are in a heavy make out session, the defender straddling the keeper while the latter palms her voluptuous ass. They're close to the point of no return when Ashlyn's phone rings. 

"Leave it." Ali gasps out, worked up beyond belief. Her fingers tighten in her keeper's hair to keep her from moving. 

Ashlyn tilts her head to the side to catch a glance of her phone screen. She peels Ali's fingers from her hair so she can be freed. 

"It's my Gram, babe." she says, grabbing her phone and answering it. Ali makes herself comfortable in her lap while she waits. 

"I'm mad at that coach of yours." the old woman says in lieu of a proper greeting as soon at the keeper answers. 

"Who? Tom?" Ashlyn asks, confused at the way this conversation is going already. 

"No," Gram sighs, annoyed. "The US coach. Jill Smellis or whatever you want to call her. She's taking my baby away from home on her birthday. It's unfair." 

"Wait Gram, what are you talking about?" the keeper says, finding it hard to concentrate now as Ali is tweaking her nipples and nibbling at her throat. She holds the defender close by her waist. 

"You're on the roster for the game on your birthday. I may be old, but I know how to look stuff up on the Web." 

Ashlyn sighs softly. She loves being on the national team, but recently she hasn't felt needed. She keeps getting called up, but not played, and it's starting to irk her. The keeper, although biased, feels she didn't get a fair shot at the number one spot after Hope was unfairly ousted by US Soccer. Now, she's going to miss being home for her birthday again, and she's probably not even going to get playing time. 

"Gram, I can't control when the games are. If Jill wants me there I need to show up." she finally sighs out. 

"I know sweetie. It just annoys me is all. Well, we can just celebrate a little early I guess. I'll let you go now. You sound out of breath so I'm guessing you're in bed with Ali right now." The old woman lets out a laugh as Ashlyn groans. 

"I'll talk to you later Gram." the keeper says, hanging up and turning to the brunette in her lap. Ali had stilled her movements a few minutes ago and was now waiting for the question Ashlyn would inevitably ask. She decides to not even give the keeper the chance to ask. A simply shake of the head is all the keeper needs. 

"Honey, I'm sorry." Ashlyn whispers, holding Ali closer. "You'll get back on the roster. Jill just needs time to get her head out of her ass." 

Ali scoffs. "It's been months, Ash. I'm done. She's made that point clear enough." 

Ashlyn presses a hard kiss to the defender's lips. "Don't do that baby. You gotta believe you'll be back on the team. You're too talented to doubt yourself." 

Ali was quiet for a moment. "I don't want to talk about it. What I do want to talk about, though, is birthday plans. I was looking online yesterday and found this place that offers romantic rooftop dinners with a private chef and everything. I want to treat you to that before you have to leave for camp." 

Ashlyn smiles to herself, loving the thoughtfulness of her girlfriend. "I can never tell you no. I would love that." she says, leaning forward to press a kiss to Ali's lips. "I love you." 

"I love you." Ali mumbles around the keeper's lips. 

They continue kissing for a few minutes, slowly working up to more. Now that the NWSL season was over they were free to go at it whenever they wanted, and they took full advantage of that fact. 

Ashlyn pulled back suddenly as she thought of an idea. "You should visit Kyle while I'm at camp." 

Ali sighs. "Why are you interrupting sexy time to talk about my brother?" 

Ashlyn chuckles. "Sorry, I just had to offer the idea. If I had waited I would've forgot about it. You're so talented with that tongue of yours the idea wouldn't have stood a chance." The keeper shrugs her eyebrows a few times, making Ali giggle. 

"I'll call Kyle later. But for now, I'm gonna show off some of that talent you say I have." Ali smirks. 

Ashlyn smiles as she leans back onto the pillows. "I can never tell you no."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to drop me a comment. I'd really appreciate it :)


	36. Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got some time to write today because I'm sick and didn't go to my morning class. I wish I had wrote this yesterday though, it would've been more fitting then but oh well lol. Sorry it's short, but I'm tired. I hope you guys like it. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Ali sighs on her way back to her car in the airport parking lot. She hates being separated from Ashlyn, even if the keeper has no choice to leave because it's work. The two of them had found a private- or as private as they could manage- area to say goodbye, sharing a tight hug and a quick kiss before Ashlyn's flight had to board. Now the defender was on her way to the store to get Halloween candy for tonight. They had meant to go a few days earlier, but forgot to go get some. 

At the grocery store, Ali made the mistake of grabbing a buggy instead of a basket for her candy, and ended up getting a bunch of things for the house. It felt weird to have to need food in the cupboards now, since they didn't shop for any during the NWSL season. At the end of her shopping trip she finally went to the candy isle and grabbed a variety- Snickers, Reese's peanut butter cups, 3 Musketeers, and Ashlyn's favorite, Skittles, as well as several others. The kids who came to their house wouldn't leave empty handed, that was for sure. 

Ali regretted buying so much food when she finally got home and had to unpack the bags all by herself. Once she's done with that she grabs the tub they used last year for candy and fills it up, helping herself to some Skittles in the process. 

Right after she's finished with that her phone starts to ring with the Jaws theme. A smile breaks out on her face involuntarily and she hurries to answer it. 

"Hi baby." she smiles. "How was your flight?" 

"It was alright I guess. Nothing spectacular." Ash chuckles. "Did you get the candy like you said you would?" The keeper was worried her brunette forgot and would be one of those people who rushed to the store half an hour before trick or treating started. 

"I sure did. I got a whole bunch so the kids could take a handful. We're not gonna be a 'just take one' house, baby. Kids are gonna leave our house excited for next year." Ali smiles. She carries the tub of candy to the front door and then checks the time. There was still an hour before trick or treating started, so she went to lay down on the couch. 

"That's right, baby. We need to be one of the cool houses, unlike the Carrasco household." the keeper says with a teasing tone. 

"Shut it, Harris." Ali hears Alex yell in the background. 

Ali chuckles. "Can't let them one up us." 

"So, you still have what, an hour before it starts? Are you gonna dress up?" Ash asks. 

Ali shrugs even though Ash can't see her. "Yeah I have an hour. I might dress up. Where is that skeleton costume I wore last year?" 

"I think it's in the closet in the guest bedroom." Ash says, and Ali stands up to go look. "You look hot in that. Send me a pic pretty please?" 

Ali chuckles. "Sure, babe. I'm looking for it now." she says, sliding things on their hangers so she could see them more clearly. "Found it." she announces, pulling the hanger out and checking for wrinkles. 

"Great. I've gotta go now. Make sure to tell little Theo hi for me." Ash says, smiling at the thought of the cute little boy who lives across the street from them. 

Ali smiles. "I will. Okay baby, enjoy your day. Tell the gals I say hi. I love you." 

"I love you, too. Bye, babe." Ash says, then hangs up. 

Ali has half an hour to get dressed after the phone call, so she gets to work, making sure it all fits right and adding a few touches of makeup. She swipes on some mascara with a minute to spare and hurries to turn the porch lights on. 

It's not long before the doorbell rings and candy starts to fly out of the tub. Half of the candy is gone in the first hour, and there's still another half hour left. With just ten minutes left, Theo and his parents show up. 

"Ali!" the six year old yells out excited when he sees the defender. He's dressed up as Spider-Man, his favorite superhero. "Trick or treat!" he smiles, holding his bag out for candy. 

Ali smiles and gives him a handful of candy. "There you go, Theo." 

"Where's Ashy?" he asks, looking around the house for the keeper. 

"She's working, buddy. But she told me to tell you hi for her. I'm sure she's sad she didn't get to see your costume." Ali says. 

"Send her a picture!" the little boy smiles, jumping up and down. 

Ali looks to his parents for permission and they both nod with a smile. The brunette pulls out her phone and Theo strikes one of Spidey's signature poses for the picture. Ali sends it to the keeper with a smile. 

"Alright Theo, come on. You gotta get home and get a bath for school tomorrow." Theo's mom says. 

After they leave Ali turns the light out since trick or treating is over, and she changes into sweatpants and one of Ashlyn's UNC hoodies. She gets settled in bed with a movie on Netflix and hears her phone chime with a text from Ashlyn. Her heart grows as soon as she reads it. 

'I can't wait for the day we can take our kids trick or treating.' 

The defender smiles as she types out a response. 'Soon, baby. Soon.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to leave me a comment. I love reading them :)


	37. The Best Christmas (So Far)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. 
> 
> So my first semester of college is over now and I'm so happy. Finals had me so stressed out. I was hoping to be able to use my break to write some, but it looks like I'll be working the majority of the time. If I have time, I'd like to get back to writing Secret Love. I know some of you have been asking about it and I apologize for the long time between updates. I just really need to focus on my schooling, especially next semester because it's gonna be rough. 
> 
> Also I think I'm going to change my username to match my tumblr, so look out for that. You guys can follow me on tumblr, and feel free to fill up my inbox with requests or story ideas. My tumblr is ashharris1124
> 
> I hope you like this little drabble. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

"Ash, if you fall off that ladder and die I'm gonna kill you."

Ashlyn smiles to herself and looks down at her girlfriend standing ten feet below her. "I think your logic is a little messed up, babe."

Ali frowns. "Just be careful please. And quit looking down here, you'll lose your balance." Her voice quivers with worry.

The keeper slowly descends the ladder and turns to the defender. "I've got mad balance skills babe, there's nothing to worry about. Worrying isn't good for you right now. Just focus on making us a baby." she smiles, rubbing Ali's stomach before kissing her sweetly on the forehead. Just a few days earlier the defender had had her first round of insemination to try to get pregnant. The doctor had told her to keep her stress levels as low as possible for the next few weeks as they waited for the results.

"Besides," the keeper continues, "I'm almost done with the lights. After I finish this side of the house everything will be complete."

Ali smiles a little and nods. "Okay. Just be careful." She watches as the short haired woman climbs the ladder again and lines up the string of lights with the edge of their house. "You should've let your brother do this like he wanted to. It would've saved me a lot of worrying." she muses, watching the keeper's arm muscles clench as she secures an area of lights.

"I'll make sure to let Chris know you don't worry about his health." Ash snickered. "He'll get a kick out of that."

Ali gasps. "You better not Ash."

The keeper lets out a laugh and goes down the ladder to move it to reach the final section of house. "I'm kidding." She climbs the ladder and secures the final piece of lights. "Maybe."

The defender glares playfully at her girlfriend as she descends the ladder one final time. "Meanie."

After Ashlyn puts the ladder in the garage, she wraps Ali in a hug and gives her a deep, but chaste kiss. "I mean, even if Chris does start hating you for not caring about his health, it's okay. I'll still marry you." she smiles, dimples prominent.

Ali blushes and looks down at the diamond ring on her left hand. "You better."

Ashlyn taps Ali's butt a few times before turning around to look at her handiwork. "I think it looks good." she says.

Ali nods. "It looks amazing, baby. Good job." She presses a quick kiss to Ashlyn's jawline. "Now let's go inside and watch Christmas movies and wrap presents."

"Sounds like a plan." the keeper says, following her fiancée into the house.

//

Two weeks later, Ali stands in the bathroom with tears in her eyes. There are only two days until Christmas, and she just got the best present ever.

A baby. She was pregnant.

Thinking about the odds, Ali gets emotional. Most women have to try several rounds of insemination before they get pregnant, and with Ali's age the probability that she'd get pregnant easily were low. But somehow she was able to prevail, and now they had a baby on the way.

Grabbing the pregnancy test with that wonderful blue plus sign on it, she heads to her and Ashlyn's bedroom to grab her purse. She has a trip to Target to make and then she needs to go to the mall. She hides the pregnancy test so Ashlyn can't find it, but not before staring lovingly at the plus sign for a few more moments.

As the defender heads to her car she can't help but caress her stomach. This time next year her and Ashlyn will have a family. The thought makes her giddy. She can't wait to tell Ashlyn the good news. With Christmas so close she has a great plan to let her fiancée learn about their bundle of joy on the way.

With a smile on her face, she starts the drive to Target.

//

When Ashlyn wakes up on Christmas morning she takes a few minutes to appreciate the beautiful sight of Ali sleeping. The pout on the defender's lips gets harder and harder to resist, until she simply can't take it anymore. The keeper leans in and kisses Ali softly until she starts to stir. The sleepy little smile she gives Ashlyn melts the keeper's heart.

"Merry Christmas, baby." Ashlyn whispers. She pulls Ali close to her chest.

The defender sighs happily. "Merry Christmas." Knowing what Ashlyn is going to learn today gets Ali moving. "Come on, let's go open presents."

Ashlyn holds tightly onto Ali's waist. "Ten more minutes to snuggle please."

Ali whines. "Ash, come on. I'm excited."

The keeper sighs softly and smiles at the look in Ali's eyes. She truly is excited to open presents. "Okay, okay." She sits up in bed. "Let's go."

Ali has a skip in her step as she goes to the living room where they set up their tree. She sits cross legged on the couch and waits for Ashlyn to catch up. Ashlyn gathers the presents from under the tree into her arms and makes her way to the couch to join Ali.

"Save the gold wrapped one for last." Ali tells Ashlyn as soon as she sits down.

The keeper gives her a suspicious look but goes with it. They take their time appreciating each other's gifts to one another, but Ali can't wait to get to the last gift. She wrings her hands in excitement as Ashlyn grabs the gold box, giving it a shake as she always does with gifts. No noise escapes the box.

"I'm guessing it's clothes." Ashlyn says as she makes the first rip in the wrapping. The box under the wrapping is plain white and gives no clues as to what it could be.

"Open it, babe." Ali entices her fiancée.

The keeper smiles. "I'm getting there."

Ali bites her lip as she watches Ashlyn lift the top part off of the box. She peels back the tissue paper, and what she finds underneath leaves her speechless.

She grips the neck of the infant sized onesie between her fingers and lifts it out of the box. The onesie is black with white lettering that proudly states "My mommies are badasses." The keeper gulps, and Ali can tell she's fighting back tears.

"Alex?" she whispers, her voice cracking with emotion. "Is this for real?"

Ali smiles, wiping away a tear. "Of course, baby."

Ashlyn gives Ali a watery smile and then proceeds to start crying. "I love you so much. So, so much." she sobs, clutching the onesie to her chest.

Ali scoots closer to Ashlyn and gathers the blubbering keeper into her arms, tears streaming down her own cheeks now. "We love you, too. More than you know."

When Ashlyn finally has her tears under control she stands up, bringing Ali with her. She sinks to her knees and pushes the defender's shirt up so she can leave kisses all over her stomach. "I love you, little one. Mama loves you."

Ali's heart grows at the sight of Ashlyn loving on their unborn baby. She caresses the back of Ashlyn's head and thanks whoever is listening for bringing this wonderful woman and baby into her life.

As the keeper nuzzles her cheek against Ali's stomach, the defender knows this Christmas has topped all of the Christmases she's had in her life. She's already looking forward to the Christmases to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to let me know what you thought of this one. I love reading comments. Thank you all for reading :)


	38. Begin Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I’ve been away for awhile, but I decided to put my college responsibilities aside and write something. I’ll be able to get back to writing in May after finals. Let me know what you think of this one. It’s based off of Taylor Swift’s song Begin Again. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Ali takes a deep breath as she looks in the mirror, putting the finishing touches on her makeup. It’s Wednesday evening and she’s about to leave for her first date in eight months. They met on Tinder. Ali wasn’t quite sure why she got the app to begin with, but not long after she set up her profile she matched with an incredibly beautiful woman named Ashlyn who lives not too far from Ali’s apartment complex. They exchanged numbers and talked for awhile and now are going on a date.

She’s nervous; she can’t help it, but she is. After her last breakup she lost herself. She still finds herself thinking about all of the things Sabrina didn’t like about her. Like how she loves to wear heels for instance. Looking in her closet at her shoes, Ali’s eyes land on her favorite pair of heeled booties. Sabrina would always tell her to wear her flats instead, even though Ali insisted that those hurt her feet and gave her blisters. Ali grabs the booties and, with a small smile, zips them up on her feet.

Putting her things in her purse, Ali finally is ready to head out. She puts her headphones on, starts a playlist, and is on her way to the nearby cafe Ashlyn wanted to meet at. It’s just two blocks away and when Ali walks in she can’t help but worry that Ashlyn isn’t there yet. Sabrina was always late to everything. Her worries are put to rest when she takes a look around and spots Ashlyn standing from a table and waving at her. A small smile makes its way onto her lips. Off to a good start.

Ashlyn gives her a beaming smile as she gets closer. “Hi. You look beautiful, Ali.” she says in her soft voice, sending butterflies through Ali’s stomach.

Ali fixes the hem of her black dress and smiles. “Thank you. You look amazing.” she replies, taking in Ashlyn’s outfit of black dress pants and an olive green button down shirt.

Ashlyn pulls out a seat for Ali before she can touch a chair and helps her take her coat off. “So I’ll go get our order put in and I’ll be right back. What would you like?” Ashlyn asks.

“A caramel latte and a blueberry scone.” Ali smiles, loving Ashlyn’s politeness.

“Coming right up.”

Ali watches Ashlyn go to the cashier and takes this time to take in her features. She’s gorgeous, that’s for sure, but also has a level of badass about her that Ali is drawn to. The sleeves of her button down are rolled up so Ali can see the tattoos all over her skin. Her short brown hair is perfectly coiffed, accentuating her perfect cheekbones. As Ashlyn hands the teenage cashier her credit card, she looks over and catches Ali staring. She gives her a smile and enjoys the blush on Ali’s cheeks.

Ashlyn carefully carries over their order. “A caramel latte and blueberry scone for the beauty, and an iced mocha and cinnamon bagel for me.”

“Thank you so much.” Ali smiles.

“So,” Ashlyn begins. “What do you do, Ali?”

“I’m a marketing manager for a local law firm. What about you?” Ali says.

“I own a tattoo shop.” Ashlyn says, stretching out her arms. “Hence all these babies.” She rotates her forearms so Ali can get a better look.

“Did you do those yourself?” Ali asks, in awe of the beautiful ink.

Ashlyn chuckles. “No. My best friend and coworker did. She’s the only person I trust with a needle on my skin.”

“I have a tattoo. Nothing quite extensive as yours, but I have one.”

Ashlyn smiles. “Oh yeah? Can I see?”

Ali lets a little smirk form on her lips. “Not on the first date.”

Ashlyn laughs, and Ali finds the sound musical. Sabrina never laughed at anything she said, so to hear Ashlyn do it so easily feels good.

“What if this is the best first date of your life? Would you consider letting me see it then?” Ashlyn says, watching as Ali takes a sip of her latte.

Ali runs her finger along the lid of her coffee cup, thinking of what to say. She’s already incredibly attracted to the short haired beauty, and knows if things were to escalate she wouldn’t want to stop anything from happening.

“Let’s just see how this goes, okay?” Ali finally says after a minute of thought. “Maybe I’ll give you a peek.”

Ashlyn smiles. “Alright. Well in the meantime, I think we should get to know each other better.”

The conversation flows easily and before they know it an hour has gone by. Ali finds herself completely enamored with the tattooed brunette. For the first time in a long time she starts to think that maybe something will work out for her. That maybe she and this beautiful woman will work out.

Ashlyn is an amazing story teller. That’s one of the things Ali can see from just an hour with the woman. She laughs her head off when Ashlyn tells her about the time when she was young that she slapped a boy across the face with a dead fish for making fun of her. When Ashlyn asks her for a story Ali gets shy. She’s never been great at telling stories. She ends up rambling most of the time, something that Sabrina couldn’t stand. When she tries to get Ashlyn to continue speaking, the short haired woman insists on Ali talking.

“I want to know things about you, Ali. Please tell me something. Anything. I’m all ears.” Ashlyn says quietly, making Ali feel better without knowing it.

_Ashlyn isn’t Sabrina_. Ali reminds herself. _She’s everything Sabrina wasn’t_.

“Okay. How about I tell you about my time playing soccer for Penn State?” Ali says, smiling when Ashlyn’s eyes light up.

It’s another hour before they end up leaving. Ashlyn walks Ali home, tentatively reaching for Ali’s hand halfway to her apartment. When they reach Ali’s building Ashlyn slows to a stop and smiles at the beautiful brunette by her side. Ali suddenly has the urge to tell Ashlyn about Sabrina, how she’s so much better to her than Sabrina ever was, but Ashlyn doesn’t give her a chance. The tattooed woman puts a hand on her waist and pulls her closer, leaving a soft kiss on her lips.

“I’ve wanted to do that ever since I saw you.” Ashlyn whispers.

Ali smiles widely and rests her forehead against Ashlyn’s. “Do you want to come upstairs with me? I’ll give you a peek of my Penn State tattoo.”

Ashlyn chuckles. “Of course. Lead the way beautiful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to let me know what you think. I love reading comments.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd appreciate feedback on this if you liked it, or didn't, or whatever. You can also request a one shot if you'd like.


End file.
